6th Edition of Neurology World Conference 2026

Abstract

Introduction: Patients and their healthcare providers are increasingly connecting via video. We set out to prospectively study the success rate of video appointments in two community neurology practices and identify barriers to their use.

Methods: Patients surveyed were cared for by two community neurologists with shared office space who used an Ontario-certified Medeo video/QHR EMR. They were e-mailed an electronic survey about their recent video appointment, with a subsequent phone reminder to complete the survey. Consent was obtained.  A successful video appointment was defined as the patient and doctor being able to see and hear each other adequately during the appointment.

Results: The survey was e-mailed to 178 consecutive patients who had recently completed a video appointment, of whom 112 (63%) completed the survey, all surveys being returned within 30 days of the appointment.  The video was successful in 103 (92%). Nine were switched to telephone appointments after an unsuccessful video.   Almost all (105) could quickly sign into their video appointment within 10 minutes or less.  Fifteen required a relative’s assistance (17%) to schedule the appointment.   Twelve patients were not signed onto the video at the appointment time and required their doctor’s help setting it up. Only 93 (83%) felt that the instructional email adequately explained how to set up the appointment.  Only 76 of the patients saved their login information. Technical issues were common (42 patients), namely forgot login information (N:7), difficulty sending or receiving video (N:8), difficulty with the audio (N:16), session timed out before doctor signing on (N:3), and internet connection difficulty (N:8).

Conclusion: Our survey found that video appointments were highly successful in 2 community neurology practices. The most common barriers to this media were technical, including difficulty signing in and not saving login information, internet connectivity, and audio dysfunction.