The Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing in Kajetany received the XNUMXst Century Award for its achievements in the field of telemedicine in the oldest international competition distinguishing people and organizations using information technology for the good of society.
We managed to catch up with the world. We have done a lot not only 600 years ago, but also today – said Prof. Henryk Skarżyński, founder and director of the center (Thursday is the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald – PAP).
The achievements of the center in the field of telemedicine are particularly forward-looking. In 2009, the National Hearing Telerehabilitation Network was established, which will ultimately cover 20 centers in the country. The network, thanks to the appropriate equipment and Internet connections, enables patients after implantation of implants to benefit from the care of specialists from Kajetan near their place of residence. The professor has already supervised the course of the operation using an image transmitting cell phone, and one of the implant procedures was watched by 25 people from different countries at the same time. The equipment installed in the operating room allows you to transmit video in 3D.
The participants of the press conference were able to look into the left ear of the 22-year-old from Radom during the live broadcast – thanks to the large screen – see how the learning of the hearing impaired little Anne is conducted simultaneously in Polish and in German, take a look at the advanced research on speech articulation at Maria Skłodowska University -Curie in Lublin, ask about the well-being of patients rehabilitated in Łeba. There was also a foreign consultation for patients of Dr. Oksana from Odessa, Ukraine.
There are no problems with money, equipment or staff recruitment, and no patient has complained about the center in Kajetany – said Deputy Minister of Health, Adam Fronczak. As professor Skarżyński revealed, his dream is to create a center that continues the program on a global scale, which could be a strong point of the next year’s Polish presidency in the European Union.
18 years ago, on July 16, 1992, prof. Henryk Skarżyński performed the first cochlear implant surgery in Poland, restoring hearing to a deaf patient. In order to meet the enormous needs, in 1996 the professor established the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing in Kajetany near Warsaw, currently one of the best institutions in this field in the world, carrying out a record number of operations to improve hearing. There are doctors in Kajetany (otolaryngologists, audiologists, phoniatrists), as well as psychologists, speech therapists, engineers and technicians.
An example of our achievements is this year’s screening of hearing in primary school children from rural areas of western Poland. Early detection of hearing defects in 92 percent. cases allows to obtain satisfactory results of treatment, four times cheaper than in the case of late treatment. From March to June 2010, 95 thousand people were tested. 411 children in the communes of the following voivodeships: Dolnośląskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubuskie, Łódzkie, Opolskie, Pomorskie, Śląskie, Wielkopolskie and Zachodniopomorskie. It turned out that over 7 percent of the respondents had hearing impairment among children aged 12-14. In 70 percent. In some cases, the parents did not realize that the child was hard of hearing. Meanwhile, poor hearing significantly increases the risk of learning difficulties. (PAP)