Journal of Pain Research (Oct 2021)
Teleprogramming Service Provides Safe and Remote Stimulation Options for Patients with DRG-S and SCS Implants
Abstract
Timothy R Deer,1 Michael F Esposito,2 Eric G Cornidez,3 Udoka Okaro,4 Marie E Fahey,4 Kenneth B Chapman5 1Spine and Nerve Center of the Virginias, Charleston, WV, USA; 2Florida Pain Institute, Melbourne, FL, USA; 3Pain Institute of Southern Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; 4Abbott, Austin, TX, USA; 5The Spine Institute of New York, New York, NY, USACorrespondence: Marie E FaheyAbbott, 8701 Bee Cave Road, Bldg 1 West FM 2244, Austin, TX, 78746, USATel +1 737 208 9348Fax +1 737-309-8710Email [email protected]: Chronic pain patients implanted with a neurostimulation device typically require follow-up and device programming visits to address changes in symptoms or treatment. Follow-up visits require access to specialty care and necessitate patients to take time off work, commute long distances, arrange for travel, and/or work with a caregiver’s schedule. Telemedicine was adopted for some patient management as a result of the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic; however, remote optimization for neuromodulation still required an in-person visit to adjust device parameters. An FDA-approved digital platform enables remote programming of an implanted neuromodulation device using a real-time audio-video link from the clinical programmer to the patient controller. The Remote Optimization, Adjustment, and Measurement for Chronic Pain Therapy (ROAM-CPT) is a multi-center, prospective study that is currently underway to access the effectiveness of the teleprogramming system in fulfilling patients’ clinical demands.Methods: This pilot study surveyed 16 patients to determine the ability of the teleprogramming platform to provide a rapid solution safely and effectively for patient’s chronic pain. Data were collected using a questionnaire that asked 6 clinician-centric questions and 5 patient-centric questions.Results: 4/4 surveyed physicians were able to address patients’ needs. 16/16 surveyed patients reported a quick resolution to pain and 15/16 did not require additional follow-up. Data curated from this pilot study show that the teleprogramming application greatly improves patient care, is preferred by both clinicians and patients with minimal disruptions to patients’ everyday lives.Conclusion: Teleprogramming provides real-time virtual programming capabilities and optimizes patients’ therapy.Perspective: This article describes remote device programming and analysis as an alternative to in-person programming/treatment sessions for neuromodulation patients. This remote option gives patients access to timely and clinically appropriate device management when in-person care may not be available.Keywords: neuromodulation, neurosphere, remote DRG stimulation, remote SCS stimulation, virtual clinic
