Treating Parkinson’s disease via telehealth makes sense, according to preliminary results of the nation’s first randomized clinical trial targeting Parkinson’s patients.

Researchers involved in the 18-state Connect.Parkinson project reported that of some 200 Parkinson’s patients included in the study, 95% have completed telehealth visits as scheduled. Moreover, virtual visits have increased the proportion of the time patients spend with a healthcare professional to 89%, compared to 25% for in-person encounters.

Virtual visits have also increased the proportion of the time patients spend with a healthcare professional to 89%, compared to 25% for in-person encounters.On the downside though, some clinicians have found that video quality is not always up to snuff, but that problem will be addressed as broadband networks and access improve.

“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 (N.Y.) Medical Center.

Dorsey is a big believer in telehealth services, saying that they can increase access to specialists for Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. He has previously said that the U.S. has more than enough neurologists to treat these patients, but they are not as geographically dispersed as the patient population.

Beyond telehealth, the Rochester Center for Human Experimental Therapeutics is also testing mobile apps, including one that was developed for the Apple ResearchKit – Parkinson mPower, which was featured as one of the first apps to use Apple’s platform for clinical studies.

[Via: MedCityNews]