A workgroup from the American Academy of Neurology issued a standardized curriculum to train students and physicians on how to provide remote neurology care.
The 12-member workgroup developed the medical training curriculum to provide students, residents, fellows and physicians with guidelines for how to dispense teleneurology care. The workgroup identified five areas providers must understand before practicing teleneurology.
1. Telecommunications technology, including an introductory and basic understanding of its implementation and limitations
2. Licensure, legal issues and ethics, which may vary between states
3. "Webside" manners, including the ability to overcome remote barriers to develop a provider-patient relationship
4. Informed consent, patient privacy and disclosure, as neurologists must be trained in how to discuss the security of a patient's personal data
5. Neurology clinical skills, since patients expect to receive the same standard of care to address their health concerns, regardless of whether a visit is conducted in-person or via telehealth
"Unfortunately, teleneurology is akin to the Wild West," said Raghav Govindarajan, MD, a member of the workgroup and assistant professor of clinical neurology at Columbia-based University of Missouri School of Medicine. "Many practitioners may be operating without the necessary skills and expertise to best care for patients."
The curriculum has been endorsed by the American Telemedicine Association.