Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Feb 1;34(1):22-26.
doi: 10.1097/WCO.0000000000000887.

The role of telemedicine in acute stroke treatment in times of pandemic

Gordian J Hubert  1 , Francesco Corea  2 , Felix Schlachetzki  3
Affiliations
Review

The role of telemedicine in acute stroke treatment in times of pandemic

Gordian J Hubert et al. Curr Opin Neurol. .

Abstract

Purpose of review: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic challenges many healthcare systems. This review provides an overview of the advantages of telemedicine during times of pandemic and the changes that have followed the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease.

Recent findings: Telemedicine has been utilized during infectious outbreaks for many years. COVID-19 has induced a variety of changes in laws (i.e. data privacy protection) and reimbursement procedures to accelerate new setups of telemedicine. Existing networks provide novel data about teleactivation resulting from social restrictions during the nadir of the lockdown in spring 2020.

Summary: Telemedicine is a safe and ideal expert support system for hospitals during infectious outbreaks. It makes high-quality medical procedures possible, limits potentially contagious interhospital transfers, saves critical resources such as protective gear and rescue/emergency transport services, and offers safe home office work for medical specialists.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Kansagra AP, Goyal MS, Hamilton S, Albers GW. Collateral effect of COVID-19 on stroke evaluation in the United States. N Engl J Med 2020; 383:400–401.
    1. Dowlatshahi D, Stotts G, Bourgoin A, et al. Decreased stroke presentation rates at a comprehensive stroke center during COVID-19. Can J Neurol Sci 2020; 1–4. [Online ahead of print].
    1. Bersano A, Kraemer M, Touzé E, et al. Stroke care during the COVID-19 pandemic: experience from three large European countries. Eur J Neurol 2020; [Online ahead of print].
    1. Zedde M, Pezzella FR, Paciaroni M, et al. Stroke care in Italy: an overview of strategies to manage acute stroke in COVID-19 time. Eur Stroke J 2020; 5:222–229.
    1. Diegoli H, Magalhães PSC, Martins SCO, et al. Decrease in hospital admissions for transient ischemic attack, mild, and moderate stroke during the COVID-19 era. Stroke 2020; 51:2315–2321.