Abstract Details

Title Teleneurology As a Tool to Increase Patient Visit Compliance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Topic General Neurology

Presentation(s) General Neurology Posters (7:00 AM-5:00 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 032

Objective

In this study we report how the increase in the number of teleneurology visits at a tertiary academic center has led to better clinic attendance by patients. We compared data between the pre-COVID-19 period (January 2019 to February 2020) to the active-COVID-19 period (March 2020 to August 2020).

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to major changes in healthcare with a general trend toward telemedicine. More specifically, in the field of Neurology there has been a rapid transition to teleneurology as a method of delivering outpatient care to patients with neurological disorders.

Design/Methods

Data was retrospectively collected from all outpatient telephone and video visits conducted in the Department of Neurology from January 2019 to August 2020. Data was analyzed using t-test.

Results Average teleneurology visits during the pre-COVID period were 646 visits per month vs the active-COVID period which showed a dramatic increase to 1686 visits per month. The number of no show teleneurology visits decreased from 1.18% per month during pre-COVID to 0.57% during active-COVID (p= .018). There was also an overall increase in Video appointments as a percentage of total Teleneurology visits, increasing from 5.98% to 13.71% over the same period (p= .0001).

Conclusions This study demonstrates that telemedicine is a feasible method to provide care to neurology patients. Patients are willing to have virtual appointments, evidenced by the 260% increase in virtual visits per month during the active-COVID period. Telemedicine also helps to facilitate patient adherence with follow up appointments across Neurology subspecialties. This is vital to help ensure compliance with medications and other treatment paradigms to allow for better neurological outcomes.

Authors/Disclosures
Shayan Torabi Moghaddam, DO (Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center) PRESENTER	Dr. Torabi Moghaddam has nothing to disclose.
Eric R. Wong, DO (Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center)	Dr. Wong has nothing to disclose.
Navdeep Sangha, MD (Kaiser Permanente)	Dr. Sangha has nothing to disclose.

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