Delivering tertiary centre specialty care to ALS patients via telemedicine: a retrospective cohort analysis

Objective: This study was undertaken to determine if ALS patients evaluated via telemedicine received the same quality of care as patients evaluated by traditional face-to-face encounters. Methods: A retrospective cohort study design was used. Participants were patients diagnosed with ALS that recei...

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Published in:Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal degeneration 2017-07, Vol.18 (5-6), p.324-332
Main Authors: Selkirk, Stephen M., Washington, Monique O., McClellan, Frances, Flynn, Broderick, Seton, Jacinta M., Strozewski, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
ALS
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - diagnosis
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - therapy
Cohort Studies
Delivery of Health Care - methods
Delivery of Health Care - standards
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Male
Medicine - methods
Medicine - standards
Middle Aged
multidisciplinary care
Quality of Health Care - standards
quality of life
Retrospective Studies
survival
telemedicine
Telemedicine - methods
Telemedicine - standards
Tertiary Care Centers - standards
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Summary:Objective: This study was undertaken to determine if ALS patients evaluated via telemedicine received the same quality of care as patients evaluated by traditional face-to-face encounters. Methods: A retrospective cohort study design was used. Participants were patients diagnosed with ALS that received multidisciplinary care at the tertiary Cleveland VA ALS Centre between 1 March 2008- and 31 anuary 2015. Participants were not randomised, but chose telemedicine based on preference, disability level or distance from the clinic. Telemedicine in this study consisted of a video conferencing platform enabling remote rather than face-to-face encounters with participants. Results: There was no significant association between receiving quality ALS care and the mode of care. There was a trend for telemedicine patients to utilise home health care less often than those that received clinic care (AOR 0.50; 95% CI 0.16-1.59). There was no significant difference in survival time between the two groups (log-rank test χ 2  = 3.62, df = 1, p = 0.05). Patients receiving telemedicine had a higher probability of remaining stable or having 
ISSN:2167-8421
2167-9223
DOI:10.1080/21678421.2017.1313867