One of the first studies to examine patient acceptability of teleneurology and determine factors influencing acceptability across neurological conditions, has found teleneurology was highly acceptable across the full range of patients with different neurological diagnoses, including headache, movement disorders and other neurological symptoms and diagnoses. The study also determined that the more medical complexity -- having additional diseases -- was associated with increased patient satisfaction with teleneurology. Older patients were as accepting of teleneurology as younger patients, individuals often viewed as more comfortable with technology.
Living in a rural area, typically with inconvenient access to in-person appointments, was also not associated with acceptability of teleneurology. "There are always going to be certain clinical conditions or patient preferences where in- person visits are essential. But for most patients a large portion of what we're trying to do -- understanding the patients' symptoms, when they started, what helps them and what makes their symptoms worse -- all those basics that we learn in medical school that we know are at least 75 percent of getting the right diagnosis can be done via video; we can then adapt most parts of our physical exam to be done via video too.
" study senior author Linda S. Williams, M.D.
, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Regenstrief Institute research scientist, whose clinical neurology practice focuses on stroke.