Abstracts

Rationale: Neurological disorders are common in daily practice and the specialty is developing and expanding in our Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, professionals working in various neuroscience fields are not many and are under increasing pressure to see many patients, often with complicated problems. Therefore, these services are generally busy with large volume of referrals and consultations, in addition to staffing limitations. On the other hand Saudi Arabia is a large developing country with most urban population being widely distributed between the central, western, and eastern regions. In addition, rare genetic and inherited neurological disorders are more prevalent as a result of high consanguinity rates. Because of all of these challenges we tried to develop a quick and effective way for neuroscience professionals to communicate, share cases, and consult with each other, particularly when faced with difficult or unusual cases. Methods: An initial group of neuroscientists across various regions of Saudi Arabia, led by the author, established a scientific "Neuroscience Forum" in November of 2014 using the smartphone application "WhatsApp" aimed to discuss cases, updates, and share scientific news. Consultants in the fields of neurology (pediatric and adult), neurosurgery, neuroradiology, genetics, metabolic, neurophysiology, psychiatry, and psychology were included voluntarily. The group was an instant success, which was reflected by increasing requests for joining the group. However, several rules had to be enforced strictly, including no political, religious, or social material to be posted. All members also agreed to delete all digital materials related to patients, whom their identity remained anonymous, once such material is reviewed. Only the attending consultant was allowed to share such information after obtaining patient and/or family consent. However, maintain patient and family confidentiality remained a concern because of the lowered security nature of such online programs. We counted on the professionalism of the members who agreed never to share patient data or break the rules of confidentiality. Results: It was not too long until this "Neuroscience Forum" group became well known and popular with increasing membership requests. We needed to expand beyond 100 members, which was one of "WhatsApp" program limitation. We also needed enhanced security and the ability to share larger documents, images, videos, and power point presentations. Therefore, the group moved to another smartphone application "Telegram", which can provide these services, free of charge, in addition to the optional access through personal computers, including desktops and laptops. This program is considered "secure" when compared to "WhatsApp". In addition, the group administrator ensured that all images and files are shared without patient's identification information. Our membership was then expanded to cover most regions of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A given physician in Jazan (south) or Hail (north) could immediately consult and communicate with another expert in Jeddah (west) or Riyadh (center). Of particular benefit, were our expert neuro-radiologists and specialists in rare sub-specialties. We subsequently expanded our group to include subspecialty fellows in training programs outside the kingdom in areas such as stroke, epilepsy, myology, and neurophysiology. This opened the door for opinions from experts working in higher tertiary cares centers and provided access for referrals. Conclusions: This successful scientific experiment can be encouraged in large countries, particularly in areas of compromised services and specialties. Funding: None