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2008
Romanian Pilot Centre for Telemedicine
Background
Romania has presently the lowest ratio of physicans per patient in the EU, and a rural areas experience a very limited access to health care services. This combined with a lack of modern medical equipment and long travel distances to nearest hospital create a severe health care situation for patients living in rural areas.
E-health and telemedical services represent a new and real alternative for these patients. In Romania today the networks for telecommunication are exceptionally well developed, and a lack of traditional health care services can be partly solved through telemedicine.
Project description
Through this project a pilot centre for e-health and telemedicine in a rural area in Romania will be established. The Romanian partner, National Communications and Research Institute (INSCC) has already made research in the area around Pitesti, have established the framework for a centre and have initiated the dialogue with the local health personnel. This project will strengthen and further develop the work already done by INSCC exploiting the experience and competence of NST.
The pilot centre will aim to explore the possible use of telemedical tools in monitoring patients with a limited access to traditional health care services and to develop methods for increasing the efficiency of the communication between the primary health services and specialists in medicine.
For telemedicine that will offer a limited number of telemedical and e-health services. The feasibility study in the seed phase will show what services should be chosen, but possible examples are: telemonitoring of chronic diseases, teleconsultations, telediagnosis of directed towards a particular group of patients.
The project will be organized in three phases:
1) Preparation phase (June 2008-Dec 20008): This phase will focus on feasibility study and a consolidation of the project team. In this phase the needs of the user groups will be matched with the right IT-technology, and the equipment specification will be developed. A risk analysis will be carried through, and the plan for next phase will be developed.
2) Installation of equipment and testing (Jan. 2009-Dec.2009): equipment will be ordered, installed and tested in this phase, and a educational program will be developed.
3) Operational phase (Jan 2011-Macrh 2011): Education of the users will be carried through, the first clinical consultations will be made, the functioning of equipment and methods will be evaluated, technical and organizational adjustments will be made. Finally an analysis will be made and stimulation of volume of services will be made so that the centre can be sustained after the project is concluded. Plans for up scaling and building similar centres in others locations in Romania.
Financing
The project is financed by Innovation Norway and by the project partners
Project partners
National Communications and Research Institute, Bucuresti, Romania
The Norwegian centre for Telemedicine, Tromsø, Norway
Project period
August 2008 – December 2008
Contact person at NST
Project Manager Eli Arild, direct telephone +47 971 70 908 and email Eli.Arild@telemed.no
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