TY - JOUR
T1 - Patient’s point of view on the use of telemedicine in multiple sclerosis
T2 - a web-based survey
AU - Landi, Doriana
AU - Ponzano, Marta
AU - Nicoletti, Carolina Gabri
AU - Cola, Gaia
AU - Cecchi, Gianluca
AU - Grimaldi, Alfonso
AU - Mataluni, Giorgia
AU - Mercuri, Nicola Biagio
AU - Sormani, Maria Pia
AU - Pacileo, Guglielmo
AU - Marfia, Girolama Alessandra
N1 - Funding Information:
Open access funding provided by Università degli Studi di Roma Tor Vergata within the CRUI-CARE Agreement. Landi D. was partially founded by the Italian Ministry of Health (grant GR-2016–02363749).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Restrictions in the access to healthcare facilities during COVID-19 pandemic have raised the need for remote monitoring of chronic medical conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In order to enable the continuity of care in these circumstances, many telemedicine applications are currently tested. While physicians’ preferences are commonly investigated, data regarding the patients’ point of view are still lacking. We built a 37 items web-based survey exploring patients’ propensity, awareness, and opinions on telemedicine with the aim to evaluate the sustainability of this approach in MS. Analysing 613 questionnaires out of 1093 that were sent to persons with MS followed at the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Tor Vergata University, Rome, we found that more than half of respondents (54%) were open to having a televisit. Propensity toward telemedicine significantly depended on having a higher income (p = 0.037), living farther from the center (p = 0.038), using computer and tablet (p = 0.010) and using the Internet for other remote activities (p < 0.001), conversely it was not influenced by any specific disease characteristics (i.e. degree of disability). The main advantages and disadvantages of televisit reported by participants were respectively saving time (70%) and impossibility to measure physical parameters (71%). Although the majority of respondents are in favour of televisit, so far this approach is restricted to those displaying better socioeconomic conditions and higher familiarity with technology. Implications of the study are that telemedicine platforms should be better tailored to patients’ demands in order to spread the use of telemedicine, to enhance usability and to increase patients’ adherence.
AB - Restrictions in the access to healthcare facilities during COVID-19 pandemic have raised the need for remote monitoring of chronic medical conditions, including multiple sclerosis (MS). In order to enable the continuity of care in these circumstances, many telemedicine applications are currently tested. While physicians’ preferences are commonly investigated, data regarding the patients’ point of view are still lacking. We built a 37 items web-based survey exploring patients’ propensity, awareness, and opinions on telemedicine with the aim to evaluate the sustainability of this approach in MS. Analysing 613 questionnaires out of 1093 that were sent to persons with MS followed at the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Tor Vergata University, Rome, we found that more than half of respondents (54%) were open to having a televisit. Propensity toward telemedicine significantly depended on having a higher income (p = 0.037), living farther from the center (p = 0.038), using computer and tablet (p = 0.010) and using the Internet for other remote activities (p < 0.001), conversely it was not influenced by any specific disease characteristics (i.e. degree of disability). The main advantages and disadvantages of televisit reported by participants were respectively saving time (70%) and impossibility to measure physical parameters (71%). Although the majority of respondents are in favour of televisit, so far this approach is restricted to those displaying better socioeconomic conditions and higher familiarity with technology. Implications of the study are that telemedicine platforms should be better tailored to patients’ demands in order to spread the use of telemedicine, to enhance usability and to increase patients’ adherence.
KW - COVID-19 pandemic
KW - Multiple sclerosis
KW - Remote monitoring
KW - Survey
KW - Telemedicine
KW - Televisit
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U2 - 10.1007/s10072-021-05398-6
DO - 10.1007/s10072-021-05398-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85110919061
JO - Neurological Sciences
JF - Neurological Sciences
SN - 1590-1874
ER -