Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic mandated rapid transition from face-to-face encounters to teleneurology visits. While teleneurology is regularly used in acute stroke care, its application in other branches of neurology was limited. Here we review how the recent pandemic has created a paradigm shift in caring for patients with chronic neurological disorders and how academic institutions have responded to the present need. Method Literature review was performed to examine the recent changes in health policies. Number of outpatient visits and televisits in the Department of Neurology was reviewed from Yale University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to examine the road to transition to televisit. Results The federal government and the insurance providers extended their supports during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several rules and regulations regarding teleneurology were revised and relaxed to address the current need. New technologies for video conferencing were incorporated. The transition to televisits went smoothly in both the institutions and number of face-to-face encounters reduced dramatically along with a rapid rise in televisits within 2 weeks of the declaration of national emergency. Conclusion and relevance The need for “social distancing” during the COVID-19 pandemic has created a major surge in the number of teleneurology visits, which will probably continue for the next few months. It may have initiated a more permanent transition to virtual technology incorporated medical care.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 大流行期间的远程神经学：医疗保健现代化的一步


摘要背景 COVID-19 大流行要求从面对面的会诊快速过渡到远程神经科就诊。虽然远程神经学经常用于急性中风护理，但其在神经病学其他分支中的应用有限。在这里，我们回顾最近的大流行如何在慢性神经系统疾病患者的护理方面造成范式转变，以及学术机构如何应对当前的需求。方法通过文献回顾来考察卫生政策的近期变化。耶鲁大学医学院和约翰·霍普金斯医学院对神经内科门诊和电视就诊的数量进行了审查，以探讨向电视就诊的过渡之路。结果 联邦政府和保险公司在 COVID-19 大流行期间提供了支持。修订并放宽了有关远程神经学的一些规则和规定，以满足当前的需求。纳入了视频会议新技术。各机构向电视访问的过渡都很顺利，在宣布国家紧急状态后的两周内，面对面接触的次数急剧减少，而电视访问的数量却迅速增加。结论和相关性 COVID-19 大流行期间对“社交距离”的需求导致远程神经科就诊数量大幅激增，这种情况可能会在未来几个月持续下去。它可能已经启动了向虚拟技术整合医疗保健的更永久的过渡。