Abstracts

Most epilepsy patients require regular follow-up care ideally done by a neurologist. In Canada, most specialist care is confined to the major cities, and long distances incur significant costs for both patients and health care system.
In Alberta, Canada there are more than 280 videoconferencing sites that can be used for telemedicine in clinical consultations. In disciplines where clinical history and focused examination is sufficient for decision making, telemedicine is expected to substitute a proportion of conventional visits. The aim of the study was to estimate cost savings and patient satisfaction of the telemedicine compared to the conventional clinic visit., This prospective randomized controlled study includes all out-of-town epilepsy patients coming to follow-up at the epilepsy clinic. After an informed consent, patients were randomized to either conventional (n=20) or telemedicine (n=20) clinics. Patients or caregivers filled patient satisfaction and travel cost questionnaires in both alternatives. Cost analysis included costs of traveling, lodging and lost productivity., Average age of the population was 40 years (range 19-73; 45% females). 83% of patients preferred their next visit through telemedicine. About 90% of patients indicated a need for companion travel (mainly by car) to conventional clinic. Average lost working time for conventional clinic was 5.6 hours and 4.7 hours for caregivers and patients respectively. The value of lost productivity ($16.40/hour) was $169, hotel cost (12%; $85/night) $10.20 and the value of car mileage (2x280km; $0.33/km) $185, totaling about $364. Patient costs for telehealth were minor., Telemedicine can play a major role in the follow-up care of epilepsy patients, reduce patient costs and improve patient satisfaction. This is the first full time epilepsy telemedicine clinic in Western Canada., (Supported by: Project was funded by Capital Health Regional Telehealth in Edmonton and the Department of Medicine Alternative Relationship Plan.)