A study, published in Neurology, shows that for patients suffering from headaches, receiving care via telemedicine tools is as effective as an in-person visit.
Researchers examined 402 people in Norway with non-acute headaches, who had been referred from a primary care doctor to a neurologist. Around half of the study participants had a traditional in-person visit with the neurologist, while the other half saw the neurologist via video conference.
The participants filled out questionnaires to assess how the headaches impacted their everyday life as well as their pain levels at the beginning of the study and at the three-month and one-year follow-ups.
The study showed no difference in level of care between people who had an in-person visit and people who used telemedicine.
Researchers noted some study limitations, including lack of placebo group and blinding.