Abstract
South Africa, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, has a disproportionate burden of disease and a shortage of health professionals. Telemedicine has been identified as a possible way of overcoming part of the problem but telemedicine has not been widely adopted. In the public sector hospitals in South Africa which serve 82% of the population there are 2.5 physiotherapists and 2 occupational therapists per 100,000 people served. The extent of telerehabilitation in South Africa is unknown. A literature review of telerehabilitation found no papers from South Africa. A survey of the heads of university departments of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language pathology revealed limited knowledge of telerehabilitation. Telerehabilitation services are confined to follow-up of patients at some institutions by telephone, fax or email. There is need to raise awareness among therapists if telerehabilitation is to become a reality in South Africa. Future actions are outlined.
Highlights
Health care delivery faces a common problem across the world – money or lack thereof
Is telerehabilitation a viable or relevant option in the developing world? The question will be reviewed from the viewpoint of South Africa, which is in many respects a microcosm of sub-Saharan Africa and the developing world
By sub-Saharan Africa’s standards, where 31 countries have 10 doctors or fewer per 100,000 people, South Africa with 77 doctors per 100,000 people is well supplied but this should be compared with Germany, the USA, and the United Kingdom, where there are 300, 260, 230 doctors per 100,000 people respectively (World Health Organization, 2010)
Summary
Health care delivery faces a common problem across the world – money or lack thereof. By sub-Saharan Africa’s standards, where 31 countries have 10 doctors or fewer per 100,000 people, South Africa with 77 doctors per 100,000 people is well supplied but this should be compared with Germany, the USA, and the United Kingdom, where there are 300, 260, 230 doctors per 100,000 people respectively (World Health Organization, 2010). The International Telecommunications Union has developed an ICT Price Basket and ranks 161 countries on the basis of a set of standardized fixed phone line telephony, mobile cellular and broadband services and describes these in terms of relative cost, expressed as a percentage of the average monthly Gross National Income (GNI) per capita. The aims of this study were to conduct a literature review to determine the extent and nature of telerehabilitation reported in South Africa and subSaharan Africa and to survey the heads of University departments of Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy in South Africa to determine telerehabilitation activities in their departments and in South Africa
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