title: Telerehabilitation in South Africa - is there a way forward?
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.
authors.affiliation: Department Of Telehealth, Nelson R. Mandela School Of Medicine, University Of Kwazulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mars
keywords: South Africa; sub-Saharan Africa; telemedicine; telerehabilitation