Introduction: Driven by the challenges of alternative healthcare supply during the COVID-19 pandemic, acceptance and appreciation of telemedicine were assessed in a German tertiary epilepsy center.
Methods: Two hundred thirty-nine patients with epilepsy (53% female, 35% seizure-free, 97% on antiseizure medication) answered a structured audit on telemedical counseling as part of individual outpatients' care.
Results: Overall 82% of the participants were satisfied with the telemedical appointment. The telemedical appointment was rated equal to onsite appointments in means of time (91%), comprehensibility (94%), and opportunity to get answers to current questions (92%). It was evaluated as good as onsite appointments regarding comprehension of the disease (88%) and impact on following the physician's advice (82%). The participants considered immediate convenience and shortfall of travel expenses as advantages of telemedicine, whereas lack of personal contact and diagnostics (electroencephalogram [EEG] recordings, blood analysis) were seen as disadvantages. About 73% of the participants would appreciate the opportunity of future telemedical counseling, but the majority (75%) wished to have further appointments onsite.
Conclusions: Overall, people with epilepsy appear to be satisfied with telemedical counseling. However, patients greatly appreciate the medical services onsite and consider telemedicine as an add-on service rather than a substitute to visits onsite.
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Epilepsy; Onsite appointment; Telemedicine.
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