Outcomes of Adherence to Telehealth Versus In-Person Clinic Visits for Epilepsy Patients: A Single Center Experience
Abstract number :
1.359
Submission category :
13. Health Services (Delivery of Care, Access to Care, Health Care Models)
Year :
2021
Submission ID :
1826442
Source :
www.aesnet.org
Presentation date :
12/4/2021 12:00:00 PM
Published date :
Nov 22, 2021, 06:54 AM
Authors :
Saniya Pervin, MD - University of Kentucky; Sally Mathias - University of Kentucky; Ruta Yardi - Neurology - University of Kentucky
Rationale: People with Epilepsy (PWE) have unique challenges surrounding their disease, including need for ongoing specialty care, transportation limitations, driving restrictions and dependence on a support system. The COVID-19 pandemic opened up the avenue for telehealth, which has inadvertently helped PWE to overcome these challenges. In a survey conducted by the American Epilepsy Society, respondents reported benefits of telehealth such as improved access, decreased no-show rates, observation of the home environment and participation of family/caregivers. We compared the in-person and televisit show-rates in clinics of two epileptologists at our institution, over a 2-month time period before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Retrospective chart review of two-month time blocks, January-February of 2020 and 2021 was conducted for two epileptologists’ clinic schedules at University of Kentucky- Kentucky Neuroscience Institute level IV epilepsy center. In the pre pandemic time, all clinic visits were in person. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, about 60% of clinic visits were carried via telehealth. Data collected included the total number of patients that were scheduled for clinic visits, number that arrived either in person or via telehealth, number that no-showed to the appointment and those who cancelled their appointments.
Results: In 2020, the total number of patients scheduled in-person was 251, with the total number of patients scheduled in-person in 2021 was 94 and telehealth was 149 (total 243). Odds OR for appointment arrival was 2.6826 (95% CI 1.552 to 4.636) with a p-value of < 0.05.
The number of patients who no-showed in-person in 2021 was 22 (23.4%) and those who no-showed on telehealth was 30 (20.1%). The OR of no-show was 0.8251 (95% CI 0.4424 to 1.5386) and did not reach statistical significance.
The number of patients who cancelled in-person visits in 2021 was 23 (24.4%) and 8 in the telehealth clinic (5.36%). OR for cancellations between In-person clinic and Telehealth in 2021 was 0.1751 (95% CI 0.0746 to 0.4112) with a p-value < 0.05.
Health Services (Delivery of Care, Access to Care, Health Care Models)