February 24 / 2020
Pilot program uses robotics, internet to deliver rehab care to rural Albertans
A pilot program hopes to use telehealth technology to deliver rehabilitation care to rural Albertans who live in communities without such services nearby.
The University of Alberta trial will focus on patients dealing with shoulder pain, hip and knee replacements, vertigo and balance issues or in need of wheelchair seating services.
“What is lacking in rural Alberta is that specific expertise of those specialists to be able to do those kinds of assessments,” said Martin Ferguson-Pell, a professor with the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
“What we’re doing is to connect a specialist here in Edmonton to a general clinician who would be in a rural part of Alberta along with [the] patient,” Ferguson-Pell said.
