Telemedicine use by neurosurgeons due to the COVID-19 related lockdown

Abstract

Introduction: Due to COVID-19 related restriction, the use of telemedicine has increased tremendously. With this increase, an evaluation in the neurosurgical field seems appropriate. Research question: To what extent has telemedicine made its way in neurosurgical practice during the COVID-19 pandemic? Material and methods: A 29-question survey was distributed among members of the congress of neurological surgeons regarding the respondents demographics the current level of COVID-19 restrictions, the current use of telemedicine and potential difficulties and consequences of telemedicine for patient care. Results: The average number of weekly outpatient visits decreased with 31 visits to a mean of 15 visits per week, while the average number of surgeries performed decreased with 5 to a mean of 2 procedures per week. On average 60% of the normal consultations have been converted to telehealth consults. Telemedicine was expected to increase the ability to quickly meet patients for urgent appointments (70%) but was also expected to decrease the quality of the relationship (56%) between practitioners and patients. The biggest difficulties due to use of telemedicine were the inability to perform physical examination (42%) followed by the inability of patients to use technology (24%) and working with elderly patients (20%). Discussion and conclusion: Telemedicine, however, comes with concerns regarding the quality of the relationship between patients and practitioners and regarding accessibility among certain patient groups. With these concerns, areas of improvement and further research are indicated. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine has become an integral part of the neurosurgical healthcare.

Keywords

• Covid-19
• Telemedicine
• Neurosurgery