In March 2020, many healthcare institutions worldwide cancelled elective, non-urgent appointments and procedures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine was quickly implemented and has now become essential because it minimises the geographic and physical barriers, preserves personal protective equipment, and prevents the spread of COVID-19. Dr Chia-Chun Chiang (Mayo Clinic, NY, USA) shared the results of an electronic questionnaire surveying patients’ experience of telemedicine use for headache care [1].
Of the >180,000 respondents, the vast majority (95.6%) had a previous self-reported headache diagnosis. Over half of participants (57.5%) reported that they had used telemedicine for headache care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those who did not use telemedicine, this was most commonly due to no need for a visit (56.1%), not knowing telemedicine was an option (25.2%), or the patients wanted to, but telemedicine was not offered by their physician (12.9%).
Among users of telemedicine, 85.5% used it for follow up, and the remaining 14.5% used it for new visits. Most patients (92.6%) did not receive a new headache diagnosis through a telemedicine visit. Over half of patients (52.4%) were prescribed a new treatment through a telemedicine visit.
Concerning their experience of telemedicine for their headache disorder care and treatment, 62.1% rated their experience as very good and 20.7% as good. In addition, 89.8% of patients indicated that they would continue to use telemedicine for their headache care and treatment, although 45.0% preferred not to use it for all visits.
This study demonstrated that telemedicine has become an essential tool for patients and a wide variety of clinicians. “We showed the different levels of care involved in the real-life practice of headache medicine that utilised and had benefit from telemedicine. If insurance coverage for telemedicine were to be rolled back, patients and multiple levels of healthcare providers would be significantly affected,” concluded Dr Chiang.
- Chiang CC, et al. Patient experience of telemedicine for headache care during the COVID-19 pandemic: an American Migraine Foundation survey study. AL08, IHC 2021, 8–12 September.
- Chiang CC, et al. Headache. 2021;61(5):734–9.
Copyright ©2021 Medicom Medical Publishers
Posted on
Previous Article
« Comparison of headaches after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination Next Article
Increased suicidal attempts and risks of ideation in medication-overuse headache »
« Comparison of headaches after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination Next Article
Increased suicidal attempts and risks of ideation in medication-overuse headache »
Table of Contents: IHC 2021
Featured articles
Letter from the Editor
COVID-19
Telemedicine beneficial for headache care during the pandemic
Comparison of headaches after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination
Grey matter cortical changes in patients with persistent headache after COVID-19
Increased risk of cerebral venous thrombosis in COVID-19
Patient Perception and Symptoms
Predictors of health-related quality of life in cluster headache
Dry eye disease is more prevalent in migraine
Voice change and throat swelling are cranial autonomic symptoms in primary headache
Association between physical inactivity and headache disorders
Increased suicidal attempts and risks of ideation in medication-overuse headache
Cardioembolic Comorbidities
AI-enabled ECG algorithm predicts atrial fibrillation risk in migraine
Migraine may not be a risk factor for stroke
Imaging
Functional brainstem somatotopy of the trigeminal nerve during nociception
Morphological changes in cluster headache between attacks
Interictal pontine metabolism in migraine patients without aura
Genome-Wide Association Studies
Largest genome-wide association study of migraine to date
Robust evidence that cluster headache has a genetic basis
Pharmacological Treatment
Insights in drug-drug interactions facilitate rational polypharmacy
Rimegepant confers long-term improvements in MMDs
First real-world effectiveness data of erenumab is promising
Galcanezumab effective in patients with episodic or chronic cluster headache
Central effects and affected somatosensory processing with galcanezumab in migraine
Long-term safety and tolerability of atogepant in migraine
Non-Pharmacological Treatment
Occipital nerve stimulation effective and safe in chronic cluster headache
Related Articles
© 2024 Medicom Medical Publishers. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy
HEAD OFFICE
Laarderhoogtweg 25
1101 EB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
T: +31 85 4012 560
E: publishers@medicom-publishers.com