Telemedicine as a strategic intervention for cognitive rehabilitation in MS patients during COVID-19

Abstract

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has taken the lives of nearly 5.2 million up to now. With no definite treatment and considering close contact as the primary mode of transmission, telemedicine has emerged as an essential medical care platform. Virtual medical communications have offered clinicians the opportunity to visit and follow up on patients more efficiently during the lockdown. Not only has telemedicine improved multiple sclerosis (MS) patients’ health and quality of life during the pandemic, but it could also be used as a cost-effective platform for physical and cognitive MS rehabilitation programs. Cognitive impairment is a common problem among MS patients even at the initial phases of the disease. Rehabilitation training programs such as RehaCom, BrainHQ, Speed of Processing Training (PST), and COGNI-TRAcK have made great strides in improving a wide range of cognitive functions that MS patients are challenged with. Regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the cognitive aspects of MS patients, efforts to implement rehabilitation training applications have been increased. Web-based mobile applications, virtual visits, and telephone follow-ups are examples of such efforts. Having said that, limitations such as privacy, socioeconomic disparities, e-health literacy, study settings, and challenges of neurologic examinationss have been raised. Since most MS patients are young, all the beneficiaries are encouraged to embrace the research in the field to pave the road for more feasible and efficient ways of cognitive enhancement in MS patients.

What would improve MS clinic services for cognition? – A stakeholder panel and survey exploration

“…It is likely that specialist cognitive rehabilitation services will become more accessible to PwMS now that software rehabilitation packages can be effectively and feasibly delivered at home (Campbell et al, 2016). The COVID pandemic has accelerated this trend to remote delivery of treatments (Ghadiri et al, 2022).…”

Participants’ perspectives of “NeuroSask: Active and Connect”—a virtual chronic disease management program for individuals with a neurological condition

“…In certain cases, our respondents reported on the “fun” nature of NeuroSask as well as increased independence, involvement in other physical activities, becoming more active members of their community, and reporting improvements in their mental health. Virtual programs can provide meaningful support and should be considered a be part of routine care ( 32 , 42–44 ).…”

Experiences of improvement of everyday life following a rehabilitation programme for people with long‐term cognitive effects of COVID‐19: Qualitative study

“…Studies (Ghadiri et al, 2022; Mantovani et al, 2020; Smits et al, 2020) suggest virtual/telemedicine as a strategic intervention for rehabilitation programmes targeted at people with COVID‐19 long‐term effects, with and without other diagnoses. This was presumably because of the difficulty in predicting a time when the worldwide physical restrictions would be relaxed/terminated and perhaps also because the pandemic opened our eyes to virtual solutions in general.…”