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
. 2022:165:263-281.
doi: 10.1016/bs.irn.2022.04.002. Epub 2022 Jul 14.

Parkinson's disease and Covid-19: The effect and use of telemedicine

Aleksandra M Podlewska  1 , Daniel J van Wamelen  2
Affiliations

Parkinson's disease and Covid-19: The effect and use of telemedicine

Aleksandra M Podlewska et al. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2022.

Abstract

As a result of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic the use of telemedicine and remote assessments for patients has increased exponentially, enabling healthcare professionals to reduce the need for in-person clinical visits and, consequently, reduce the exposure to the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This development has been aided by increased guidance on digital health technologies and cybersecurity measures, as well as reimbursement options within healthcare systems. Having been able to continue to connect with people with Parkinson's Disease (PwP, PD) has been crucial, since many saw their symptoms worsen over the pandemic. Inspite of the success of telemedicine, sometimes even enabling delivery of treatment and research, further validation and a unified framework are necessary to measure the true benefit to both clinical outcomes and health economics. Moreover, the use of telemedicine seems to have been biased towards people from a white background, those with higher education, and reliable internet connections. As such, efforts should be pursued by being inclusive of all PwP, regardless of geographical area and ethnic background. In this chapter, we describe the effect he Covid-19 pandemic has had on the use of telemedicine for care and research in people with PD, the limiting factors for further rollout, and how telemedicine might develop further.

Keywords: Covid-19; Parkinson's disease; SARS-CoV-2; Telemedicine; Wearables.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Aspects of telemedicine in the care for people with Parkinson's disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. AAN 2020. https://www.aan.com/practice/telemedicine
    1. Aarsland D., Batzu L., Halliday G.M., Geurtsen G.J., Ballard C., Ray Chaudhuri K., et al. Parkinson disease-associated cognitive impairment. Nature Reviews. Disease Primers. 2021;7(1):47. doi: 10.1038/s41572-021-00280-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Aarsland D., Creese B., Politis M., Chaudhuri K.R., Ffytche D.H., Weintraub D., et al. Cognitive decline in Parkinson disease. Nature Reviews. Neurology. 2017;13(4):217–231. doi: 10.1038/nrneurol.2017.27. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ahmad F.A., Postuma R.B. Telephone visit efficacy for Parkinson's disease during the COVID-19 pandemic. Clinical Parkinsonism & Related Disorders. 2021;5 doi: 10.1016/j.prdoa.2021.100107. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Alderwick H.A.J., Gottlieb L.M., Fichtenberg C.M., Adler N.E. Social prescribing in the U.S. and England: Emerging interventions to address patients' social needs. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2018;54(5):715–718. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.01.039. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources