Can Teleneuropsychology Help Meet the Neuropsychological Needs of Western Africans? The Case of Ghana

In Ghana, the services of psychologists, particularly clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists, remain largely inaccessible to a large proportion of those in need. Emphasis has been placed on "physical wellness" even among patients with cognitive and behavioral problems needing psycho...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied neuropsychology. Adult 2015-09, Vol.22 (5), p.388-398
Main Author: Adjorlolo, Samuel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cognition Disorders - diagnosis
Cognition Disorders - therapy
cognitive assessment
Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted - instrumentation
Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted - methods
Ghana
Humans
Neuropsychology - instrumentation
Neuropsychology - methods
telemedicine
Telemedicine - instrumentation
Telemedicine - methods
teleneuropsychology
Videoconferencing
West Africa
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In Ghana, the services of psychologists, particularly clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists, remain largely inaccessible to a large proportion of those in need. Emphasis has been placed on "physical wellness" even among patients with cognitive and behavioral problems needing psychological attention. The small number of clinical psychologists and neuropsychologists, the deplorable nature of road networks and transport systems, geopolitical factors, and a reliance on the face-to-face method in providing neuropsychological services have further complicated the accessibility problem. One way of expanding and making neuropsychological services available and accessible is through the use of information communication technology to provide these services, and this is often termed teleneuropsychology. Drawing on relevant literature, this article discusses how computerized neurocognitive assessment and videoconferencing could help in rendering clinical neuropsychological services to patients, particularly those in rural, underserved, and disadvantaged areas in Ghana. The article further proposes recommendations on how teleneuropsychology could be made achievable and sustainable in Ghana.
ISSN:2327-9095
2327-9109
DOI:10.1080/23279095.2014.949718