Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM)
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed significant challenges on healthcare provision, requiring changes in the conventional patient management, particularly in chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). To increase patient safety and reduce the risk of infection, while ensuring an appr...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Neurology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.613769/full |
| _version_ | 1818617171230588928 |
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| author | João J. Cerqueira Ana F. Ladeira Ana M. Silva Ângela Timóteo José Vale Lívia Sousa Marta Arenga Pedro Abreu Rui Guerreiro João de Sá |
| author_facet | João J. Cerqueira Ana F. Ladeira Ana M. Silva Ângela Timóteo José Vale Lívia Sousa Marta Arenga Pedro Abreu Rui Guerreiro João de Sá |
| author_sort | João J. Cerqueira |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed significant challenges on healthcare provision, requiring changes in the conventional patient management, particularly in chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). To increase patient safety and reduce the risk of infection, while ensuring an appropriate and regular follow-up, tele-medicine gained prominence as a valid alternative to face-to-face appointments. However, the urgency of the implementation and the lack of experience in most MS centers led to “ad hoc” and extremely diverse approaches, which now merit to be standardized and refined. Indeed, while tele-consultation cannot fully replace face-to-face visits, it certainly can, and will, be incorporated as part of the routine care of MS patients in the near future. Bearing this in mind, the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM) has developed a set of recommendations for the usage of tele-medicine in the management of MS patients, both during the pandemic and in the future. The consensus was obtained through a two-step modified Delphi methodology, resulting in 15 recommendations, which are detailed in the manuscript. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T17:01:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c2ffd12aeb6844e2b9cbb1b0a0789d2e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-2295 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T17:01:27Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Neurology |
| spelling | doaj.art-c2ffd12aeb6844e2b9cbb1b0a0789d2e2022-12-21T22:23:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Neurology1664-22952021-03-011210.3389/fneur.2021.613769613769Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM)João J. Cerqueira0Ana F. Ladeira1Ana M. Silva2Ângela Timóteo3José Vale4Lívia Sousa5Marta Arenga6Pedro Abreu7Rui Guerreiro8João de Sá9Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (Instituto de Investigação em Ciências da Vida e Saúde), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, PortugalNeurology Department, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Central, Lisbon, PortugalDepartment of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário Do Porto, Porto, PortugalDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, PortugalDepartment of Neurology, Hospital Beatriz Ângelo, Loures, PortugalDepartment of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalDepartment of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar da Cova da Beira, Lisbon, PortugalDepartment of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar São João, Porto, PortugalDepartment of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar de Setúbal, Setúbal, PortugalDepartment of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Norte, Lisbon, PortugalThe spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed significant challenges on healthcare provision, requiring changes in the conventional patient management, particularly in chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). To increase patient safety and reduce the risk of infection, while ensuring an appropriate and regular follow-up, tele-medicine gained prominence as a valid alternative to face-to-face appointments. However, the urgency of the implementation and the lack of experience in most MS centers led to “ad hoc” and extremely diverse approaches, which now merit to be standardized and refined. Indeed, while tele-consultation cannot fully replace face-to-face visits, it certainly can, and will, be incorporated as part of the routine care of MS patients in the near future. Bearing this in mind, the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM) has developed a set of recommendations for the usage of tele-medicine in the management of MS patients, both during the pandemic and in the future. The consensus was obtained through a two-step modified Delphi methodology, resulting in 15 recommendations, which are detailed in the manuscript.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.613769/fulltelehealthvirtual consultationmonitoringremote assessmentconsensus |
| spellingShingle | João J. Cerqueira Ana F. Ladeira Ana M. Silva Ângela Timóteo José Vale Lívia Sousa Marta Arenga Pedro Abreu Rui Guerreiro João de Sá Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM) Frontiers in Neurology telehealth virtual consultation monitoring remote assessment consensus |
| title | Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM) |
| title_full | Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM) |
| title_fullStr | Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM) |
| title_short | Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM) |
| title_sort | multiple sclerosis patient management during the covid 19 pandemic practical recommendations from the portuguese multiple sclerosis study group geem |
| topic | telehealth virtual consultation monitoring remote assessment consensus |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2021.613769/full |
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