Experiences of remote consulting for patients and neurologists during the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.
BMJ Neurol Open
; 3(2): e000173, 2021.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1518145
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Remote consulting is an emerging model in managing chronic neurological conditions and has been widely implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this national survey was to investigate the initial experiences of remote consulting for neurologists and patients with established neurological conditions under follow-up during the first COVID-19 phase.METHODS:
In collaboration with the Scottish Association of Neurological Sciences and the Neurological Alliance of Scotland, we conducted a web-based survey of neurologists and patients between October and November 2020.FINDINGS:
Data was available for 62 neurologists and 201 patients. The consensus among neurologists was that remote consulting is a satisfactory way of delivering healthcare in selected groups of patients. For practical and technical reasons, there was preference for phone over video consultations (phone 63% vs video 33%, p=0.003). The prevailing opinion among clinicians was that considerable training interventions for remote consultation skills are required ('yes' 63% vs 'no' 37%, p=0.009) to improve clinician consultation skills and successfully embed this new model of care.Most patients perceived remote consultations as safe, effective and convenient, with 89% of patients being satisfied with their remote consultation experience. Although traditional face-to-face consultations were the favoured way of interaction for 62% of patients, a significant proportion preferred that some of their future consultations be remote.INTERPRETATION:
Although not a replacement for face-to-face consultations, this survey illustrates that remote consulting can be an acceptable adjunct to traditional face-to-face consultations for doctors and patients. More research is required to identify overall safety and applicability.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Type of study:
Cohort study
/
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Qualitative research
/
Randomized controlled trials
Language:
English
Journal:
BMJ Neurol Open
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Bmjno-2021-000173
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