Synchronized telerehabilitation care in rural zones supported by teleoperated technological aids: application to a Colombian case

Abstract

Objective: This research work proposes and evaluates a model for the provision of physical rehabilitation services supported by teleoperated technological aids, using the Internet as a communication channel for the care of the rural population, and by taking as the study region, a western subregion of Colombia around the municipality of Santiago de Cali- Colombia. Methodology: From the dynamics generated by the interaction between the service system and the users, characterized by the occurrence of events, a formal model was built, using a Colored Petri Net. To do this, a modelling methodology based on a top-down approach was proposed. Results: A model of the care system was developed and evaluated using Petri nets, based on a case study consisting of the current care model offered by a typical health service provider in Cali called "La Ladera ESE Health Network". The weighted improvements through the proposed system were: greater objectivity of traceability, speed of communication, better quality of rehabilitation, as well as the ability of the new system to contribute to greater precision in the initial diagnosis and subsequent periodic evaluation of recovery. Conclusions: The proposed protocol based on the model made it possible to attend concurrently and accurately diagnose up to three patients, through the implementation of technological aids to improve diagnostic support and allow a subsequent periodic evaluation of the patient´s recovery.