Broadband improves medical care

Telecom industry analyst Craig Settles shares his personal medical experience to help explain the many ways broadband access can improve medical care. Within moments following his personal health emergency and as part of the recovery process, access to a high-speed Internet connection made a difficult time easier.

Reflecting on his own experiences with a stroke, Settles recognizes the opportunities for fast treatment created by broadband access:

You see, wireless and other technology enable emergency responders to treat the patient while they're still at home — and en route to the hospital. Sufficient broadband makes this possible.

Santa Monica, Calif., CIO Jory Wolf sees broadband as making it possible for patients at the scene of an accident to receive treatment while someone is simultaneously scheduling surgery facilities in different hospitals, and putting people and resources in place while waiting for the final decision on where the patient will end up.

"People, when they arrive, would get through the ER faster or actually go directly to their ultimate treatment area of the hospital,” he said.

But a broadband connection is also important to the recovery process. In addition to the ability to communicate with friends and loved ones, Internet programs are now available to assist recovering patients with physical therapy:

My rehab therapists were invaluable, but they couldn’t be there all day. And in order for stroke patients to heal, they must use the affected muscles constantly. A company called Flint Rehabilitation Devices developed MusicGlove — a Guitar Hero-type game that incorporates sensors, software and the Internet. The game tricks your hand into believing it’s actually moving, and in a few weeks, the hand catches on and begins to move on its own.

Read the entire articlehere.

Community Broadband Easily Explained (GovTech.com, Oct. 14, 2015)