Program for the development of Nationwide Network of Auditory Telerehabilitation Centers

Project’s title: Program for the development of Nationwide Network of Auditory Telerehabilitation Centers

Project’s duration: January 2009 – April 2011

Project’s budget: 1 399 444 EUR

Co-financing: 839 666 EUR

The project was supported by Norway – co-financed from the resources of Norwegian Financing Mechanism (Norway Grants). PL 0384, Priority 5 – Healthcare and Child Care.

Project’s summary: The project enabled to establish the state-of-the-art telemedical system through the organization of the network of hearing telerehabilitation centers, equipped with modern rehabilitation units – the main center and 20 partner-centers. The units in all the centers are equipped with advanced devices for teleconference transmission and computer systems with specialist clinical diagnostic interfaces and applications necessary for programming the cochlear implants’ speech processors.

The goal of the project was the improvement of the quality of life of people with hearing and speech disorders in Poland, through the application of telemedical solutions. Telemedicine connects medicine and telecommunication, therefore enables to render services on distance, eliminates geographical and financial barriers as patients do not have to travel to specialist medical centers. For patients it increases the access to experienced and qualified personnel, and for specialists it creates a modern methods to learn and gain an experience.

Due to the project, new workplaces have been created within the structure of telerehabilitation centers network. Specialists increased their qualifications in the scope of innovative method of telerehabilitation. Through the teleconference meetings with specialists from the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, the project enabled to promote information about modern forms of hearing impairment treatment and rehabilitation among teachers and specialists from local schools, rehabilitation centers and the parents.

The project created the foundation for the establishment of the first in the world National Network of Teleaudiology.