Mission/Thesis Statement
“We believe in developing and implementing web-based medical databases and video-conferencing portals that are accessible via mobile technologies (i.e. netbooks) that will link rural primary healthcare providers with urban specialists and facilities in an effort to enhance the currently decreasing quality of healthcare offered to Rural America.”
Evidence for the Naysayers
Many may choose to refute the above claims and the implied problems with rural healthcare; but the anecdotal evidence, the empirical research findings, and my personal experience have all validated similar conclusions: rural patients have a decreased access to quality healthcare. Internet-based technologies have already and will continue to bridge the discrepancies between rural and urban healthcare resources.
For example, a rural clinician that requests a second opinion from a urologist would have the ability to meet that urologist on the Internet instead of making the patient drive three hours to the nearest urban-based medical facility.
Below are just two sources, from a plethora available, that support the need for enhanced access to healthcare resources, knowledge, and specialty expertise by rural clinicians and patients. The first citation documents one of the many examples of such need and the second offers evidence to the benefits afforded through the implementation of mobile technology and video-conferencing.
Nebraska Urban and Rural Populations, 1990 Census Report
Kvedar, J., Menn, E., and Loughlin, K. "Technologic Advances in Urology: Implications for the Twenty-First Century." Urologic Clinics of North America, Feb. 1998: 25(1).
As someone who has resided in rural communities most of my adult life, I am well aware of the problems with rural healthcare. I was going to argue that I disagree with your statement that "MANY may choose to refute the claim" before I realized that my experiences may explain why I believe the problem to be "known", if not "well known".
ReplyDeleteI also have to wonder, just a bit, at your focus on "rural" communities when the term "remote" communities could expand the application while still covering the rural communities in the US. I remember following closely the story of Dr. Jerri FitGerald who performed her own breast biopsy while stationed in Antarctica after training non-medical personnel to help (1999). I've followed several such stories over the years, watching as technology has allowed more experts to work remotely, positively impacting larger numbers of people. But, once again, my thoughts about your pursuits seem to be more in response to my own experiences than to any shortcomings in your project proposal.
I continue to watch your progress with interest and can't wait to see what kind of interest you are able to generate from others.
My only question about your mission statement would be is it really fair to say that rural access to/quality of healthcare is decreasing? It seems to me that it was probably never that great to begin with- it might be more powerful to commpare rural healthcare quality to access in major cities to show how its lacking, or failing to progress.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, you've obviously done a ton of research, and I agree that this is a problem that needs a solution. I cant wait to see how you start to solve it!