Implementation and Patient Experience of Outpatient Teleneurology

Abstract

Background:Teleneurology has been well described for acute stroke, but outpatient use has been limited. At home, virtual visits have the potential to improve access to neurological care. Introduction:This study reports on the use of a personal device videoconferencing platform for outpatient neurologic follow-up visits. Materials and Methods:This is a cross-sectional study that identified all virtual neurologic follow-up visits completed by patients ≥18 years at a single institution over 4 years. Virtual visits were conducted by personal smartphone or computer via videoconferencing with a provider. Patients were asked to rate their overall experience with the visit and provider (five-point scale). Travel distance from the institution was calculated using patient's home addresses. Results:Three thousand nine hundred thirteen patients completed 5,581 virtual visits during the study (mean age 49.4 ± 17.0 years, 58.7% female). Number of virtual visits increased from 30 in year 1 to 4,468 in year 4. Virtual visits were completed in all outpatient neurologic subspecialties. A total of 30.1% of patients were local (<50 miles), 25.9% were near regional (50–150 miles), 21.7% were far regional (151–270 miles), and 22.2% were remote (>270 miles). A distance of 1,327,128 miles of travel was prevented across the 5,581 visits. On average, patients rated their overall virtual visit experience 4.7/5 ± 0.89 and rated their provider 4.9/5 ± 0.48. Discussion:Virtual visits prevented a substantial amount of travel and resulted in high patient satisfaction. The sizable proportion of local patients may indicate that teleneurology provides important access for reasons beyond travel distance. Conclusion:This study demonstrates the feasibility of implementing outpatient teleneurology services.

Topics & Concepts