Remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: The TELE MS randomized controlled trial
Introduction Continuous monitoring is the hallmark of managing chronic disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS), in particular, requires patients to visit their treating neurologists typically twice a year, at least. In that respect, the COVID-19 pandemic made us rethink our communication strategies. This s...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Digital Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221112154 |
| _version_ | 1818488874914021376 |
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| author | Patrick Altmann Fritz Leutmezer Markus Ponleitner Dominik Ivkic Nik Krajnc Paulus Stefan Rommer Thomas Berger Gabriel Bsteh |
| author_facet | Patrick Altmann Fritz Leutmezer Markus Ponleitner Dominik Ivkic Nik Krajnc Paulus Stefan Rommer Thomas Berger Gabriel Bsteh |
| author_sort | Patrick Altmann |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction Continuous monitoring is the hallmark of managing chronic disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS), in particular, requires patients to visit their treating neurologists typically twice a year, at least. In that respect, the COVID-19 pandemic made us rethink our communication strategies. This study determined satisfaction with remote visits for people with MS (pwMS) by comparing non-inferiority to conventional visits. Methods TELE MS was a randomized controlled trial that was open to any person with MS. We randomized a volunteer sample of 45 patients. We compared satisfaction with remote visits (via phone or via videochat) with conventional outpatient visits. The primary endpoint was patient satisfaction determined by the Telemedicine Perception Questionnaire (TMPQ, min: 17 and max: 85 points) with the hypothesis of non-inferiority of televisits to conventional visits. Physician satisfaction measured on the PPSM score (Patient and Physician Satisfaction with Monitoring, min: 5 and max: 25 points) was the secondary endpoint. Results The trial met both endpoints. Mean (SD) TMPQ scores in the individual groups were 58 (6.7) points for conventional visits, 65 (7.5) points for phone visits, and 62 (5.5) points for video visits. Physician satisfaction over the whole cohort was similarly high. Median (range) PPSM scores were 23 (16–25) for the whole cohort, 19 (16–25) for conventional visits, 25 (17–25) for phone visits, and 25 (16–25) for video visits. Conclusions Televisits in multiple sclerosis yield a high level of satisfaction for both patients and treating physicians. This concept for remote patient monitoring adopted during the current pandemic may be communicable to other chronic diseases as well. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04838990 |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:56:43Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-01862792a0704d38aa7c4bcd940634f5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-2076 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T16:56:43Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Digital Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-01862792a0704d38aa7c4bcd940634f52022-12-22T01:40:41ZengSAGE PublishingDigital Health2055-20762022-07-01810.1177/20552076221112154Remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: The TELE MS randomized controlled trialPatrick AltmannFritz LeutmezerMarkus PonleitnerDominik IvkicNik KrajncPaulus Stefan RommerThomas BergerGabriel BstehIntroduction Continuous monitoring is the hallmark of managing chronic disease. Multiple sclerosis (MS), in particular, requires patients to visit their treating neurologists typically twice a year, at least. In that respect, the COVID-19 pandemic made us rethink our communication strategies. This study determined satisfaction with remote visits for people with MS (pwMS) by comparing non-inferiority to conventional visits. Methods TELE MS was a randomized controlled trial that was open to any person with MS. We randomized a volunteer sample of 45 patients. We compared satisfaction with remote visits (via phone or via videochat) with conventional outpatient visits. The primary endpoint was patient satisfaction determined by the Telemedicine Perception Questionnaire (TMPQ, min: 17 and max: 85 points) with the hypothesis of non-inferiority of televisits to conventional visits. Physician satisfaction measured on the PPSM score (Patient and Physician Satisfaction with Monitoring, min: 5 and max: 25 points) was the secondary endpoint. Results The trial met both endpoints. Mean (SD) TMPQ scores in the individual groups were 58 (6.7) points for conventional visits, 65 (7.5) points for phone visits, and 62 (5.5) points for video visits. Physician satisfaction over the whole cohort was similarly high. Median (range) PPSM scores were 23 (16–25) for the whole cohort, 19 (16–25) for conventional visits, 25 (17–25) for phone visits, and 25 (16–25) for video visits. Conclusions Televisits in multiple sclerosis yield a high level of satisfaction for both patients and treating physicians. This concept for remote patient monitoring adopted during the current pandemic may be communicable to other chronic diseases as well. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04838990https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221112154 |
| spellingShingle | Patrick Altmann Fritz Leutmezer Markus Ponleitner Dominik Ivkic Nik Krajnc Paulus Stefan Rommer Thomas Berger Gabriel Bsteh Remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: The TELE MS randomized controlled trial Digital Health |
| title | Remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: The TELE MS randomized controlled trial |
| title_full | Remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: The TELE MS randomized controlled trial |
| title_fullStr | Remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: The TELE MS randomized controlled trial |
| title_full_unstemmed | Remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: The TELE MS randomized controlled trial |
| title_short | Remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria: The TELE MS randomized controlled trial |
| title_sort | remote visits for people with multiple sclerosis during the covid 19 pandemic in austria the tele ms randomized controlled trial |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076221112154 |
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