Telemedicine Treatment and Care for Patients with Intellectual Disability

Abstract

In recent years, telemedicine has been developing very dynamically. The development of new technologies allows their use in the treatment of dermatological, cardiological, endocrine and other diseases. However, there are few reports on the use of digital technologies in the mental health care of people with intellectual disabilities. Intellectual disability is a disease that affects a large number of people. Patients suffering from intellectual disability encounter barriers that make it difficult for them to fully use telemedicine, however, these barriers can be overcome with appropriate support and adaptation. A review of the literature on telemedicine solutions in the care of people with intellectual disabilities indicates that the applications support the communication of these people with the doctor, enable simple behavioral interventions, stimulate cooperation in treatment, provide simple medical education as well as record medical data for the doctor. The authors present the potential risks related to the use of telemedicine solutions for people with intellectual disabilities as well as the project of creating a new, multi-module telemedicine system.

Keywords: e-health; intellectual disability; mental disorders; telemedicine; telepsychiatry.

Figure 1

Project of a telemedical care system for people with intellectual disabilities.