Corea Francesco, Ciotti Silvia, Cometa Antonella, De Carlo Claudia, Martini Giancarlo, Baratta Silvano, Zampolini Mauro
Department of Rehabilitation and Neurology Unit, Ospedale San Giovanni, Battista di Foligno, 06034 Foligno, Italy.
Department of Rehabilitation, Struttura Complessa Riabilitazione Neuromotoria, 06039 Trevi, Italy.
Neurol Int. 2021 Jan 18;13(1):25-31. doi: 10.3390/neurolint13010003.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for a broader implementation of telemedicine for many diseases has become apparent. Televisits are one type of telemedicine in which clinical visits are conducted remotely using an audio-visual connection with the patient at home. The use of televisits is more established in Stroke care but was also recently formally evaluated for Multiple Sclerosis (MS). This retrospective case series describes patient characteristics and reasons for televisits in persons with MS during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Italy, which was declared in February 2020.
Recruitment occurred in a general hospital based MS clinic during Italy's lockdown months period (9 March-18 May). Each subject completed at least one televisit. The baseline data included were demographics and MS history; reasons for the remote house calls were analyzed focusing on COVID-19 related needs.
Forty-six participants completed at least one study visit. The patients enrolled were more often females suffering from Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS). Half of the patients had an intermediate level of education and lived within a 60 min drive from the clinic. These patients predominately had a short disease duration and were mostly involved in oral treatment. The main reasons for the call were drug use and counseling on social distancing. In 5 cases, COVID-19 infection was reported.
Televisits during the COVID-19 outbreak demonstrated their utility as a care delivery method for MS. Hence, it is vital to facilitate the implementation of this technology in common practice to both face infectious threats and increase accessibility of the health care system.
在新冠疫情期间，对多种疾病更广泛地实施远程医疗的需求变得显而易见。远程视频问诊是远程医疗的一种形式，即通过与在家中的患者进行视听连接来远程开展临床问诊。远程视频问诊在中风护理中的应用更为成熟，但最近也针对多发性硬化症（MS）进行了正式评估。本回顾性病例系列描述了在意大利2020年2月宣布的新冠疫情爆发期间，MS患者的远程视频问诊的患者特征及原因。
在意大利封锁期间（3月9日至5月18日），在一家综合医院的MS诊所进行招募。每位受试者至少完成了一次远程视频问诊。纳入的基线数据包括人口统计学和MS病史；分析远程上门问诊的原因，重点关注与新冠相关的需求。
46名参与者至少完成了一次研究问诊。纳入的患者多为复发缓解型多发性硬化症（RRMS）的女性。一半的患者接受过中等教育，居住在距离诊所60分钟车程内。这些患者疾病持续时间大多较短，主要接受口服治疗。问诊的主要原因是药物使用和社交距离咨询。有5例报告了新冠感染。
新冠疫情爆发期间的远程视频问诊证明了其作为MS护理提供方式的效用。因此，在常规实践中促进这项技术的应用对于应对感染威胁和提高医疗保健系统的可及性都至关重要。
