Teleneurology in a center for neuromuscular diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Acta Neurol Belg
; 122(3): 721-724, 2022 Jun.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1442197
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has urged the adoption of telemedicine services as a measure of greater patients' safety. This study aims to investigate efficacy and feasibility of teleneurology care for patients with neuromuscular diseases (NMD).METHODS:
All patient visits from 4th March 2020 to 27th March 2021, the period of COVID-19 lockdown requiring partial transition to tele-consultation, were reviewed. Demographic data and medical records during the implementation of the "hybrid model" of both remote and in-person visits during COVID-19 era were analyzed and compared to those of the pre-pandemic era.RESULTS:
A total of 2179 tele-consultation contacts for 182 patients (mean age 46.4 years, 42.3% female) were conducted. Tele-consultation was primarily performed by telephone calls. During that period, 1745 telephone calls were conducted, resulting in a 4.5 mean increase/patient compared to 2019. There was a 15.1% decrease in first time in-person consultations compared to 2019. However, the mean number of monitoring visits per person during pandemic was no different from previous years. With the exception of 3 patients with advanced stage of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, no other patients required an unscheduled appointment or hospitalization for unforeseen reasons related to tele-consultation restrictions.CONCLUSION:
Monitoring of NMD patients could benefit from tele-provided multidisciplinary services. The experience gained during COVID-19 pandemic could be useful for further development of tele-medicine.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
COVID-19
/
Neuromuscular Diseases
Type of study:
Observational study
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Language:
English
Journal:
Acta Neurol Belg
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S13760-021-01808-w
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