Neil Heslop is General Manager of the Southern Cochlear Implant Programme. An Audiologist by training, he worked from 2003 until 2011 as a clinician in the programme, for the most part with children but also with adult candidates and recipients. He has a background in public sector Audiology, with DHB experience in NZ as well as experience in the UK’s NHS system. He has a clinical interest is in the use of telemedicine for cochlear implant care. Prior to Audiology, he has worked as a computer programmer and in radio electronics, and has an under-graduate degree in speech-language therapy.
Presentation: Telemedicine in Cochlear Implant Care
While the number of cochlear implant patients continues to grow worldwide, health system funding to support these patients may not keep pace. Cochlear implant programmes struggle to maintain services for patients in a timely fashion.
New Zealand is particularly difficult as it is sparsely populated with difficult geography making travel times lengthy for often short appointments. Visiting clinics and collaboration with regional service providers may assist but can be equally costly.
Modern telecommunications networks provide an opportunity for care at distance. This may include anything from educational and teaching webinars, fixed remote MAPping, to home-based care.
This presentation discusses some applications of telemedicine in cochlear implant clinical care, its limits, and where the technology might be heading.