Telehealth in Neurosurgery: 2021 Council of State Neurosurgical Societies National Survey Results

Jordan C. Xu*, Sam A. Haider, Akshay Sharma, Kenneth Blumenfeld, Joseph Cheng, Catherine A. Mazzola, Katie O. Orrico, Joshua Rosenow, Jason Stacy, Ann Stroink, Krystal Tomei, Luis M. Tumialán, Anand Veeravagu, Mark E. Linskey, Jason Schwalb

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Telehealth was rapidly adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was distributed to neurosurgeons in the United States (U.S.) to understand its use within neurosurgery, what barriers exist, unique issues related to neurosurgery, and opportunities for improvement. Methods: A survey was distributed via email and used the SurveyMonkey platform. The survey was sent to 3828 practicing neurosurgeons within the U.S., 404 responses were collected between October 30, 2021 and December 4, 2021. Results: During the pandemic, telehealth was used multiple times per week by 60.65% and used daily by an additional 12.78% of respondents. A supermajority (89.84%) of respondents felt that evaluating patients across state lines with telemedicine is beneficial. Most respondents (95.81%) believed that telehealth improves patient access to care. The major criticism of telehealth was the inability to perform a neurological exam. Conclusions: Telehealth has been widely implemented within the field of neurosurgery during the COVID-19 pandemic and has increased access to care. It has allowed patients to be evaluated remotely, including across state lines. While certain aspects of the neurological exam are suited for video evaluation, sensation and reflexes cannot be adequately assessed. Neurosurgeons believe that telehealth adds value to their ability to deliver care.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)e328-e335
JournalWorld neurosurgery
Volume168
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022

Funding

This work product had a significant origin within the AANS/CNS Washington Committee, AANS/CNS AMA delegation, and the AANS/CNS Council of State Neurosurgical Societies. Jordan Xu and Sam Haidar are CSNS fellows in their respective CSNS quadrants. Katie O. Orrico is the AANS/CNS senior vice president of health policy and advocacy. The questionnaire resulted from 2 resolutions passed during the biannual CSNS meeting in Austin, Texas, during October 2021.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus
  • Health policy
  • Telehealth
  • Telemedicine

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Neurology
  • Surgery

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