Ambulatory care for epilepsy via telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Epilepsy Behav 2021 Mar;116:107740
Date
02/06/2021Pubmed ID
33545652Pubmed Central ID
PMC8803629DOI
10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107740Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85100269185 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 19 CitationsAbstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess feasibility, patient satisfaction, and financial advantages of telemedicine for epilepsy ambulatory care during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
METHODS: The demographic and clinical characteristics of all consecutive patients evaluated via telemedicine at a level 4 epilepsy center between March 20 and April 20, 2020 were obtained retrospectively from electronic medical records. A telephone survey to assess patient satisfaction and preferences was conducted within one month following the initial visit.
RESULTS: Among 223 telehealth patients, 85.7% used both synchronous audio and video technology. During the visits, 39% of patients had their anticonvulsants adjusted while 18.8% and 11.2% were referred to laboratory/diagnostic testing and specialty consults, respectively. In a post-visit survey, the highest degree of satisfaction with care was expressed by 76.9% of patients. The degree of satisfaction tended to increase the further a patient lived from the clinic (p = 0.05). Beyond the pandemic, 89% of patients reported a preference for continuing telemedicine if their epilepsy symptoms remained stable, while only 44.4% chose telemedicine should their symptoms worsen. Inclement weather and lack of transportation were factors favoring continued use of telemedicine. An estimated cost saving to patient attributed to telemedicine was $30.20 ± 3.8 per visit.
SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings suggest that epilepsy care via telemedicine provided high satisfaction and economic benefit, without compromising patients' quality of care, thereby supporting the use of virtual care during current and future epidemiological fallouts. Beyond the current pandemic, patients with stable seizure symptoms may prefer to use telemedicine for their epilepsy care.
Author List
Datta P, Barrett W, Bentzinger M, Jasinski T, Jayagopal LA, Mahoney A, Pearon C, Swaminathan A, Vuppala A, Samson KK, Wang H, Taraschenko OAuthor
Aditya Vuppala MD Assistant Professor in the Neurology department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAmbulatory Care
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Electronic Health Records
Epilepsy
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Pandemics
Patient Satisfaction
Referral and Consultation
Retrospective Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
Telemedicine
