‘Virtual Research Visits' Show Potential

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

A study by researchers from Rochester University found patients from the 23andMe Parkinson’s Research Community found great success in using telemedicine services.

Telemedicine has shown potential for remote treatment of Parkinson’s in clinical trials according to researchers from Rochester University, who add the virtual visits will provide travel-free appointments and allow more time for communicating with healthcare professionals. MedCity News reports virtual visits have increased the proportion of the time patients spend with a healthcare professional to 89 percent, compared to 25 percent for in-person encounters.

“We are looking at quality of life, quality of care and reducing the burden on healthcare providers” in treating Parkinson’s patients, explained one of the study’s leaders, neurologist Dr. Ray Dorsey, co-director of the Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics at the University of Rochester (NY) Medical Center.

The study, published by Digital Health, found the only complaint about virtual visits was video quality, which researchers attributed to internet connections and hope will improve with better broadband connections in the future.

“Remote clinical assessments of individuals with known genotypes were conducted nationally and rapidly from a single site, confirmed self-reported diagnosis, and were received favorably,” concluded researchers. “Direct-to-consumer genetic testing and virtual research visits together may enable characterization of genotype and phenotype for geographically diverse populations.”

Researchers indicated there was great interest in the study with nearly 1,000 people inquiring. About 200 ended up enrolling. And while many doctors have not fully embraced telemedicine, Dorsey told MedCity News, “I only see patients over the Internet now” with the exception of the couple of weeks a year he attends in the hospital.