BACKGROUND Overcoming existing access barriers is crucial for better-specialized health care of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to compare the access and visit… Click to show full abstract
BACKGROUND Overcoming existing access barriers is crucial for better-specialized health care of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to compare the access and visit quality/acceptability between in-office and virtual telemedicine visits. METHODS This was an international, randomized, case-control, prospective, observational study. Patients were randomly assigned either to the control group (in-person/in-office visits at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months) or to the study group (in-office visits at baseline, 6, and 12 months, and telemedicine visits at 3 and 9 months). Telemedicine visits were conducted using videoconferencing apps that were readily accessible to the patient/caregivers. Outcomes were feasibility, usability, and the noninferiority of telemedicine compared to in-office visits in PD patients regarding clinical progression and initiation of pharmacological/nonpharmacological treatments over 1-year follow-up. RESULTS We included 209 PD patients from 6 countries (Nigeria, Spain, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Egypt, and Uruguay), mean age 64.9 ± 12.2 years, 59% males, median Hoehn & Yahr stage 2 (1-4). Overall, disease progression (MDS-Unified PD rating scale), quality of life (PD-Quality of life 39-items) scores, and therapeutic changes were similar in both groups. After 1 year, 124 patients 48.3%, (control group) and 52.1% (study group) completed the visits (P = 0.52), with a similar high rate of patient's satisfaction with the visits (P = 0.57). CONCLUSIONS This study represents real-world telemedicine practice in different world regions using a telemedicine approach complementary to in-person visits. Based on these results, feasibility, clinical management, PD disease progression, and patient's quality of life are similar when using telemedicine versus in-office visits. Future research should explore ways to integrate different healthcare technologies for long-term PD management.
               
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