Potential clinical and economic benefits of remote deep brain stimulation programming

Pintér, Dávid and Járdaházi, Evelyn and Janszky, József and Kovács, Norbert (2022) Potential clinical and economic benefits of remote deep brain stimulation programming. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 12. ArtNo: 17420. ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) teleprogramming may help reducing travel-related and other fnancial burdens for patients and maintaining DBS care in special situations. To determine travel-related burdens of DBS patients and explore efects of COVID-19 on DBS care. Travel- and visit-related data of 319 patients were retrospectively analyzed for the frst year, fve years, and ten years after initiating DBS. Frequencies of in-person and telemedicine visits over the 18-month periods just before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Hungary were also compared. Average travel distance during an in-person visit was 415.2 ± 261.5 km, while average travel time was 342.1 ± 199.4 min. Travel costs for the frst year, fve years, and ten years were 151.8 ± 108.7, 461.4 ± 374.6, and 922.7 ± 749.1 Euros, respectively. Travel distance, age, and type and severity of disease could help identify patients who would particularly beneft from teleprogramming. We detected a signifcant decrease in the number of visits during COVID-19 pandemic (from 3.7 ± 2.1 to 2.4 ± 2.7; p < 0.001) which mainly resulted from the decreased frequency of in-person visits (3.6± 2.0 vs. 1.7 ± 1.8; p < 0.001). Our results support the introduction of DBS teleprogramming in Hungary which could save money and time for patients while maintaining a secure delivery of DBS.

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