Telemedicine in neurology

Abstract

PurposeWhile there is strong evidence supporting the importance of telemedicine in stroke, its role in other areas of neurology is not as clear. The goal of this review is to provide an overview of evidence-based data on the role of teleneurology in the care of patients with neurologic disorders other than stroke.Recent findingsStudies across multiple specialties report noninferiority of evaluations by telemedicine compared with traditional, in-person evaluations in terms of patient and caregiver satisfaction. Evidence reports benefits in expediting care, increasing access, reducing cost, and improving diagnostic accuracy and health outcomes. However, many studies are limited, and gaps in knowledge remain.SummaryTelemedicine use is expanding across the vast array of neurologic disorders. More studies are needed to validate and support its use.

Feasibility and effectiveness of teleconsultation in children with epilepsy amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in a resource-limited country

“…This program will fully fund all expenditures regarding telecommunications and information services, and devices necessary to provide telehealth services to eligible health care providers in the USA. It is high time for the Indian Government to implement such health care programs for physicians practicing in our country [7,22,23]. Till recently the available technical tools in developing countries do not have sufficiently satisfactory performance in high rate data transfer uninterruptedly for months together required for these applications and hence it was difficult to implement in routine clinical service in most parts of India, except metro cities.…”

“…But this has forced neurologists across the globe to explore innovative measures including telemedicine to continue providing quality care to patients with epilepsy. Telemedicine, which has been previously proven to be highly efficacious in various neurological disorders like stroke, epilepsy, and parkinsonism remains the most promising and practically the only feasible option to provide uninterrupted health care currently [6][7][8][9]. Recently high-speed internet connectivity, availability of smartphones, and internet data at nominal prices, with the opportunity of video calling, free pictures, and video messages in various social media services have revolutionized the telecommunication sector in developing countries like India.…”

Management of patients with neuromuscular disorders at the time of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

“…Alternatives for face-to-face visits include telemedicine that refers to the provision of health care services using technology, such as text, e-mail, telephone, and video [20,21]. Despite different studies assessing the use of teleneurology-including telerehabilitation-for patients with chronic neurologic conditions exist [22,23], the available literature on NMD patients is scarce.…”

Evolving Healthcare Delivery in Neurology During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic

“…A review of current literature shows various subspecialtiesmultiple sclerosis 13 The use of telemedicine platforms is critical when providing care to high-risk populations. Pre-pandemic literature suggested telehealth was not inferior to face-to-face clinic visits for outcomes across neurologic subspecialties (16). The expansion of Medicare coverage beyond rural areas and relaxing tele-HIPAA requirements in response to the pandemic (17,18) has catalyzed rapid and wide implementation.…”