Objective: To conduct a systematic review of telemedicine for Parkinson’s disease

Background: Recent literature indicates that globally significant numbers of Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients have limited access to specialist care in PD. Telemedicine (TM), the use of telecommunication technologies to provide medical information and services, may be a solution to this problem.

Methods: Medline database was searched to identify relevant literature (published between January 1986-December 2016). 22 studies related to TM in PD were identified: almost all studies (21, 95.4%) utilized TM to provide remote care to PD patients, one study (4.6%) used TM as part of an educational program for healthcare providers. Study primary outcomes were classified into four main categories: 1) feasibility, reliability and validity, 2) cost and time saving, 3) effectiveness of disease management, and 4) patient’s satisfaction.

Results: All TM studies were conducted in developed countries, with equal representation between the United States (43%) and European countries (43%), but no studies in Asia identified (Fig. 1). 14 out of 21(66%) studies established feasibility and validity of TM. The rest demonstrated cost and time saving benefits of TM in follow-up assessment and rehabilitation with smartphone TM applications, increasing in popularity.

Conclusions: TM provides a practical solution for delivering remote assessment of PD motor symptoms and evaluation of treatment response; however, it is still not universally available. Advances in, and reduced cost of, telecommunications means it is unlikely that technology limitations are the sole reason for this deficit, particularly in Asian countries where cultural differences, and other preferences should be explored. In our opinion, TM is another option to deliver patient-centered multidisciplinary care and education when direct assessment is impractical.

References:

1. Dorsey ER, Deuel LM, Voss TS, et al. Increasing access to spe- cialty care: A pilot, randomized controlled trial of telemedicine for Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord 2010;25:1652-1659. 


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