Rationale:
This abstract presents an opportunity to diminish technological and logistical barriers that delay diagnosing and managing patients needing a video electroencephalogram (VEEG) report to begin, change, add, or stop antiseizure medications and to interpret specific electroclinical syndromes.
Methods:
We developed a digital platform to facilitate the logistical process of delivering VEEG results to our patients. We hired a computer systems engineer to help with the technical process of creating a platform based on the needs of our patients and doctors. We integrated a cybersecurity program to protect patients’ information and to apply all the ethical statements in order to protect our patients. This way, we did a health service for the patients. We evaluated the acceptability of the platform in every patient with a small interview.
Results:
Our platform is entirely accepted by all its users. We provide patients with unique alphanumerical usernames and passwords to access the website. The patients can watch the VEEG report and the most important recorded parts of their study on the website. Based on the result of the exam and the reason for the exam, we provide patients with further instructions. This project has improved the lives of more than 5000 children by providing them with quick answers and adequate management to prevent complications. We stopped using paper for printing VEEG results and reports, reducing the burden of global warming in order to achieve a zero-paper policy. Additionally, we noticed an increased engagement of the patients to their treatment and follow-up consults.
Conclusions:
We took the opportunity to innovate in the most commonly ordered exam in our child neurology consult: the VEEG. We have had patients from public hospitals who arrived at our consult with only a verbal report and nothing to read or analyze. The need for more resources in public hospitals causes this. Based on the previously mentioned reasons, we modernized this exam. We proved that minor changes to standard exams improve their utility. The digitalization and innovation of the VEEG reduced costs and eased the logistical burden of patients traveling from one state to another to get, usually, only a verbal report of an exam that does not provide information to the patient because it may need to be better performed or analyzed. Additionally, we offer the opportunity to decrease the loss-to-follow-up patients and increase compliance with medical treatment by empowering patients with tangible results.
Funding: N/A