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‘Virtual house calls’ saved time, travel for patients with Parkinson’s disease

Patients with Parkinson’s disease can save time and travel by using “virtual house calls,” or Web-based videoconferencing, for care rather than in-person office visits, according to new study results.

The randomized controlled trial included 20 men and women aged older than 30 years and diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Participants were assigned to three visits during the course of 7 months (nine Web-based; 11 in-person).

Researchers found that Web-based participants saved an average of 3 hours and 100 miles of travel by using videoconferencing as their method of care. At the end of the trial, 85% of participants expressed interest in using videoconferencing for their method of care.

Quality of life also was assessed using the 39-item Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire, but no significant differences were present at the end of the trial (4-point improvement for videoconferencing participants vs. 6.4-point improvement for in-person; P=.61). Researchers also assessed motor score with the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (3.9-point improvement for videoconferencing vs. 1.2-point improvement for in-person; P=.36).

“It appears we can use the same technology Grandma uses to chat with her grandson to provide her with valuable medical care in her home,” E.Ray Dorsey, MD, MBA, associate professor of neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a press release. “If this proof-of-concept study is affirmed, the findings open the door to a new era where anyone anywhere can receive the care she needs.”

Dorsey said physicians can perform nearly all of the tests during videoconferencing that they would in an office.

“Our study demonstrates that using Web-based videoconferencing to provide specialty care at home is feasible, provides value to patients and lays the foundations for larger-scale studies in Parkinson’s disease and other chronic conditions,” Dorsey and colleagues wrote.

Disclosure: The study was funded by research grants from Google and Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Paul Beeson Career Development Award Program and Parkinson’s Disease Foundation and Summer Student Fellowship. Some of the researchers report financial ties with Blue Cross Blue Shield, ConsultingMD, Google, Lundbeck, Medtronic, Presbyterian Home for Central New York, Susquehanna Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and Verizon.