Goals

The Physical Rehabilitation Distance Communication Initiative strives to:

• Use information technology to help enhance physical rehabilitation services
• Provide current information that can be accessed anytime and from almost anywhere
• Provide tools and techniques for remote consultation
• Help community partners use new communication technology to enhance their services

Enabling Technologies

• Internet based video conferencing
• On-line educational materials
• Web site
• Telephone / FAX
• Motion analysis software

Benefits

• Provide physical rehabilitation services and education at the right time, at the right place, and at the right cost
• Reduce travel time / costs
• Exploit the Internet
  • No long distance charges
  • Use low, medium, or high bandwidth connections
  • Multi-site meetings
  • Use standards based conferencing technology
• On-line Education
  • Allow people to access information on the own time (shifts, etc.)
  • Review course content before an on-site presentation
  • Use as a reference after an on-site course
  • Can simultaneously link to multiple sites
  • Interactive (using the conferencing system)