The Cabinet of Ministers has adopted a resolution on changes in the functioning of telemedicine in Ukraine, according to which telemedicine will be used more in the provision of medical and rehabilitation care.
This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Health.
“Today, the demand for rehabilitation in Ukraine is growing like never before. In addition to the development of rehabilitation departments, the formation of interdisciplinary rehabilitation teams, the expansion of rehabilitation services and the digitalization of processes, the use of TV rehabilitation is actively encouraged at the state level,” the statement said.
Telerehabilitation is a method of providing rehabilitation assistance using information and communication technologies remotely. Today, medical institutions are already using modern telemedicine solutions to provide rehabilitation care to patients. These solutions were delivered to Ukraine as humanitarian aid from our partners.
The government’s decision will make it possible to use modern digital technologies to provide high-quality and effective rehabilitation. In particular, the doctor and the patient will be able to communicate remotely, while the person’s health and recovery will be under constant supervision of a specialist, as telemedicine tools allow this to be done remotely outside the rehabilitation center.
The Ministry of Health notes that the gamified (gaming) system of TV rehabilitation RGS, which operates in Ukraine, has already proven its effectiveness. The telerehabilitation system allows patients with brain injuries and disorders to receive effective personalized neurorehabilitation in a game form and return to normal life as soon as possible.
The platform helps patients with diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, ataxia, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, stroke, as well as patients who have suffered various injuries, contusions due to wounds and explosions during military operations.
Today, the RGS tele-rehabilitation system is already integrated in more than 76 medical institutions across the country that provide rehabilitation services to patients.
What will be offered:
- new forms of rehabilitation with the use of telemedicine in a separate area – teleconsultation;
- mandatory informing patients about telemedicine services – orally or by posting on the official resources of medical institutions;
- more opportunities for remote monitoring of patients’ condition, which will help improve the quality of medical care;
- conditions for educational activities and digital competence for healthcare professionals.
How rehabilitation and the work of multidisciplinary teams will change:
- the decision to provide care using telemedicine will be made by a rehabilitation specialist;
- multidisciplinary teams will conduct tele-rehabilitation sessions with extensive use of telemetry;
- specialists will be able to remotely monitor a person’s performance and control the implementation of the rehabilitation plan and recommendations of specialists;
- Modern TV rehabilitation solutions will make it possible to use modern gadgets and computer systems to motivate patients to perform rehabilitation exercises.
What it will bring in the end:
- the process of providing medical care using telemedicine will be unified;
- more people will receive medical and rehabilitation care, which will reduce disability rates and have a positive impact on public health.
Telemedicine in Ukraine
As of the end of 2023, 328 healthcare facilities were connected to telemedicine services.
Telemedicine in Ukraine began to be actively introduced in 2018 in rural areas with the involvement of consultant doctors to provide medical care and rehabilitation.
According to the Ministry of Health, the radical approach to the use of telemedicine and evaluation of its effectiveness was forced to reconsider the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and especially the full-scale invasion of Russia, when many citizens were forced to limit their access to medical services. This is especially true for people who are in difficult circumstances and have no access to a doctor.
The development of telemedicine in Ukraine is actively supported by its Western partners. Thus, the strategy was developed in cooperation with and with technical support from the USAID Sustainable Local Health Systems Project.
In July 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the Strategy for the Development of Telemedicine in Ukraine. And recently it became known that telemedicine in Ukraine is to be integrated into all types of medical care.
