Different forms of medical care and rehabilitation at home have had great breakthroughs lately. New techniques make it possible both to see and hear patients located far away. Now it is time for the next step in the development. A project based in Luleå has come up with methods making it possible to even touch patients from a distance.
The medical term for this is palpation and it is a method of examination where the hands and fingers are used to search for symptoms. Normally, palpation is performed during a physical meeting between the patient and the examiner. Lisbeth Eriksson is a physical therapist at the Hospital in Sunderby, Norrbotten County Council, and works for the institution for health science at Luleå University of Technology. She is the initiator of the project working with examination through palpation at a distance, and says there is a big need for this technology, which enables the doctor or therapist to perform palpation even when the patient is located elsewhere. Her work is mainly concerning treatment and rehabilitation of shoulder injuries, but Eriksson thinks that in the future it will be possible to apply the technique to other areas as well.
Today, many patients return home for different forms of further rehabilitation at a distance and take with them equipment, similar to a lap top computer, through which they can communicate with their therapist using both sound and image.
“It normally works really well” says Eriksson, “but certain symptoms and irritations can be difficult for the patient to describe and then we miss the possibility to physically feel the structure of the shoulder.”
The idea behind the project is to be able to perform palpation from a distance using a robot system called master- slave. This would serve as a complement to the already established sound and image communication. In practice, it would work by the patient taking the slave part of the robot home, a finger looking devise that connects to the other equipment. The master part would be at the clinic, where the therapist is able to control the finger part by moving his or her finger in a small rubber unit. The patient’s shoulder structure, with calluses, tensions and all would then be reproduced on a fake shoulder at the clinic.
“The point is for us to detect things like swellings” Eriksson explains, “an inflammation is often the cause of pain and this technique would make it possible for us to find resistances in the muscle with our finger.”
There are already robots on the market and Lisbeth Eriksson says her team is looking at different models to see if they can meet the needs of the project. Also, an analysis looking at earlier studies within the field, is being done but Eriksson says the material is scarce.
“There is just very little information” she says, “one of the things we are doing is interviewing physical therapists to map the importance of palpation and create a base to build on.”
To be able to create the optimal treatment technique, it is essential to get to the core of the importance of palpation, for patient and therapist both.
Rehabilitation at a distance makes the situation easier for patients living a long way from the hospital or clinic. The response from people who have had physical therapy in the home is mostly positive; many find it is a psychological advantage to be in a familiar environment during treatment. Examination from a distance also means great savings in health and medical care in form of less travel expenses. A technique like the one Eriksson’s team in Luleå is working on does not exist on the market today. The equipment would thus be cempletely unique and make the rehabilitation process easier for a great number of people.
CMTF, c/o Tillämpad fysik och elektronik
Umeå universitet, 901 87 Umeå
Tel: +46 (0)90-786 96 38.
E-post: Britt Andersson.
