National Network of Teleaudiology inspires the World

Over 100 participants from Poland and Central and Eastern Europe came to Warsaw in January to take part in East Europe e-Health Innovation Summit organized by ISfTeH (International Society for Telemedicine and e-Health). This is the largest international organization which facilitates the international dissemination of knowledge and experience in Telemedicine and e-Health and provides access to recognized experts in the field worldwide. Originated in Switzerland, ISfTeH is promoting the idea of non-profit work and strong international collaboration especially in developing countries as well as these making Telemedicine and e-Health one of the priorities of their progress. ISfTeH is acting according to the Swiss law.

The First International Conference of the International Society for Telemedicine and e-Health named “Medical Aspects of Telemedicine” was held in Tromsø, Norway in 1993. The next two meetings took place in 1995 in Mayo, US and in 1997 in Kobe, Japan. All the meetings were joined by highest medical authorities who are able to recognize the importance of telemediciene in the fast developing World.

During the meeting in Warsaw 26 lectures about organization, finance, and telemedical solutions in countries such as: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia were delivered. The audience  extremely impressed by the National Network of Teleaudiology designed and introduced to clinical practice by the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing. The history and other telemedical solutions existing in the Institute were presented to the experts by Maciej Ludwikowski and Paweł Michaluk from the Department of Teleaudiology.

Solutions available for patients and doctors in Kajetany are unique worldwide  – stressed Frank Lievens, the Secretary General of the ISfTeH. Inspired by the presentation of the solutions in Kajetany, Lievens introduced the idea of establishing the International Workig Group for Teleaudiology under the ISfTeH. Experience and solutions of the Institute not only for diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation but also for the large scale hearing screening of school-age children  will be presented at the large forum of the Med-e-Tel – The International eHealth, Telemedicine and Health ICT Forum for Education, Networking and Business in April 2015 in Luxemburg.