Abstracts

Rationale: Telemedicine was recently introduced to improve access for follow-up of children with epilepsy living in remote areas of BC. The objective of this study was to assess parent/caregiver satisfaction with consultation via Telemedicine and to assess social and economic factors. Methods: A questionnaire was designed following literature review and from telemedicine questions piloted in other specialty areas in our institution. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee. Parents/Caregivers of children scheduled for a telemedicine appointment were asked if they would agree to participate in a survey on satisfaction with telemedicine care. An email was sent with an online link to a secure, anonymous satisfaction survey. Analysis of the responses was undertaken with SPSS Version 22.0. Results: Of 100 children seen via telemedicine, all agreed to participate. There were 30 parents/caregivers who answered the survey on line and 2 mailed a completed, hard copy of the questionnaire. Appointments involved16 telemedicine sites with 50% of appointments at two larger sites. It was the first telemedicine appointment for 71.9% of patients. For the telemedicine appointment, 54.8% drove 10km or less, compared to 88% of patients needing to drive more than 200km to attend an in person appointment at BC Children's Hospital (BCCH). For the telemedicine appointment, 35.5% of patients spent 1 hour or less time to complete their travel and appointment times, compared to 90% requiring to take 2 or more days to attend an in person appointment at BCCH. In order to attend the telemedicine appointment, 79.3% spent less than $50 (Canadian), compared to 71% who would have been required to pay more than $500 Canadian (16.1% spending greater than $2000) to attend an in person appointment at BCCH. 90% of patients were satisfied that their questions were answered, and that they were able to communicate well with the neurologist. With respect to Telemedicine equipment, 96.9% of patients were satisfied they could both hear and see the health care provider clearly. 96.9% of families felt their privacy was respected and 93.8% did not think telemedicine was impersonal. Overall 96.9% were satisfied with the appointment via telemedicine and 96.9% were willing to use it again. Conclusions: Satisfaction with follow-up of epilepsy management via telemedicine was very high. There were major direct cost savings when using telemedicine compared to travelling to BCCH. This pilot study suggests that Telemedicine is an effective and economical method for delivery of epilepsy care for individuals who live remote from major referral centers.