Photo By Lt.Cmdr. Nhu Do | 220302-N-CR191-1071 USNMRTC Sigonella, Italy (Mar. 2, 2022) Lt. Cmdr. Karla...... read more read more
In coordination with the Defense Health Agency (DHA) Virtual Medical Center Europe (VMC-E) and operational units with Operation Atlantic Resolve in U.S European Command (EUCOM), Active Duty physical therapists from U.S. Naval Readiness and Training Commands Sigonella and Naples have developed a Virtual Physical Therapy Clinic (VPTC). This innovative clinic delivers musculoskeletal evaluation and care to forward deployed Active Duty service members (ADSM) ashore and afloat.
Thirty-five medical and surgical specialties in Europe, primarily located at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, have been providing virtual consultation to service members in remote, operational, and embassy settings using the Tricare International Select Overseas (ISOS) referral system. However, physical therapy (PT) consultation services have not been offered until now. Musculoskeletal injuries are the leading cause of clinic visits by Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, and Marines representing two-thirds of all limited duty profiles. Additionally, more than 80% of all musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries are due to overuse, with lower extremity overuse injuries listed as the #1 cause of lost and limited workdays. Non-combat MSK injuries associated with back, neck, and extremity pain accounted for more than 75% of all medical evacuations from the Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom theaters. A deployed physical therapist on-site is preferred and has been shown to improve return to duty and MSK injury outcomes—but this is not feasible at every location.
Lt. Cmdr. Karla Krasnoselsky, physical therapist assigned to USNMRTC Sigonella led the effort and met with Navy Surgeon General Rear Adm. Bruce L. Gillingham and Director of the Defense Health Agency Lt. Gen. Ronald Place to showcase her team’s efforts in taking PT to deployed warfighters at locations without access.
“Military medicine’s mission is to conserve the fighting strength of all our service members. This means keeping warriors on-site and ready to fight without jeopardizing their readiness and health,” said Krasnoselsky. “Often in forward deployed locations there is no access to musculoskeletal experts. This new VPTC offers forward deployed embedded medical providers an opportunity to work closely with worldwide VMC-credentialed physical therapists to offer services and ensure care is appropriate for the patient’s diagnosis while maintaining quality and safety”.
Using Department of Defense approved video platforms, 75 virtual PT patient encounters have been completed to date in 2022. Patients receiving services are primarily Army soldiers forward deployed at Role I and II sites in Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria.
U.S. Army Medical Provider Capt. Ryan Hunton with 1 V Corps Forward in Poznan, Poland was the first provider to partner with Krasnoselsky on this unique venture. “Our remote aid station sees a lot of Soldiers with musculoskeletal issues” said Hunton. “Ultimately, keeping Soldiers engaged and focused on the mission is the goal. The virtual health PT service has definitely been a big part of us achieving this goal for several cases. During much of my time deployed to Poland, I did not have easy access to PT for Soldiers. However, now that we have been using this service for several months, I cannot imagine not having this resource available. It is a force multiplier; both the medical staff and the patients love it.”
Another example of a unique patient encounter was when USNMRTC Naples PT department responded to a unique request to provide virtual PT services to a Sailor assigned to the USS Mount Whitney (LCC-20) – while underway. Understanding the importance of continuing injury rehabilitation and keeping the ship on the mission, physical therapist Lt. Raymond Blasi coordinated SIPR VTC access and provided a synchronous telehealth PT treatment session for the patient while underway.
This is the first time Secure VTC has been used to conduct PT care with a ship underway and is the next phase of a larger effort to coordinate care with operational units in remote areas. Feedback from the patient was positive stating, “The care was great, but beyond that I think today was a huge win. We did distance medical from one Fleet AOR to another. Awesome! USS Mount Whitney is all in to keep pushing for this in whatever format we can make happen.”
PT services delivered virtually to the warfighter shows clinical efficacy and diminishes geographic constraints to improve availability of specialty care. Though not as ideal as having a physical therapist on-site, the VPTC option leverages modern technology and extends musculoskeletal management to the warfighter to keep them in the fight and improves forward medical readiness.
| Date Taken: | 03.02.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2022 08:27 |
| Story ID: | 432936 |
| Location: | IT |
| Web Views: | 178 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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