Remote care of a patient with stroke in rural Trinidad: use of telemedicine to optimise global neurological care

Abstract

We report a patient driven home care system that successfully assisted 24/7 with the management of a 68-year-old woman after a stroke-a global illness. The patient's caregiver and physician used computer devices, smartphones and internet access for information exchange. Patient, caregiver, family and physician satisfaction, coupled with outcome and cost were indictors of quality of care. The novelty of this basic model of teleneurology is characterised by implementing a patient/caregiver driven system designed to improve access to cost-efficient neurological care, which has potential for use in primary, secondary and tertiary levels of healthcare in rural and underserved regions of the world. We suggest involvement of healthcare stakeholders in teleneurology to address this global problem of limited access to neurological care. This model can facilitate the management of neurological diseases, impact on outcome, reduce frequency of consultations and hospitalisations, facilitate teaching of healthcare workers and promote research.

Diagnosis of a chronic spinal cord injury via televisit in a patient from an underserved community

“…Past studies have examined the use of telemedicine to increase access in underserved communities, e.g. providing timely stroke care in Trinidad by allowing rapid assessment and designing care plans post-discharge [ 1 ]. Telemedicine also facilitates pre- and post-operative consultation between primary care providers and surgeons [ 2 ].…”