Medical College of Wisconsin
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Telemedicine in Neurological Disorders: Opportunities and Challenges. Telemed J E Health 2019 Jul;25(7):541-550

Date

08/24/2018

Pubmed ID

30136898

Pubmed Central ID

PMC6664824

DOI

10.1089/tmj.2018.0101

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85068907659 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   117 Citations

Abstract

Introduction:Telemedicine represents an emerging model for the assessment and management of various neurological disorders.Methods:We sought to discuss opportunities and challenges for the integration of telemedicine in the management of common and uncommon neurological disorders by reviewing and appraising studies that evaluate telemedicine as a means to facilitate the access to care, deliver highly specialized visits, diagnostic consultations, rehabilitation, and remote monitoring of neurological disorders.Results:Opportunities for telemedicine in neurological disorders include the replacement of or complement to in-office evaluations, decreased time between follow-up visits, reduction in disparities in access to healthcare, and promotion of education and training through interactions between primary care physicians and tertiary referral centers. Critical challenges include the integration of the systems for data monitoring with an easy-to-use, secure, and cost-effective platform that is both widely adopted by patients and healthcare systems and embraced by international scientific societies.Conclusions:Multiple applications may spawn from a model based on digitalized healthcare services. Integrated efforts from multiple stakeholders will be required to develop an interoperable software platform capable of providing not only a holistic approach to care but also one that reduces disparities in the access to care.

Author List

Chirra M, Marsili L, Wattley L, Sokol LL, Keeling E, Maule S, Sobrero G, Artusi CA, Romagnolo A, Zibetti M, Lopiano L, Espay AJ, Obeidat AZ, Merola A

Author

Ahmed Zayed Obeidat PhD, MD Associate Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Cerebrovascular Disorders
Health Services Accessibility
Humans
Nervous System Diseases
Neurodegenerative Diseases
Remote Sensing Technology
Telemedicine
Telerehabilitation
Time Factors