Attitudes toward telemedicine of patients with Parkinson’s disease during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 had spread all over the world by the end of 2019. In Japan, the government declared a state of emergency in March 2020. Although no study has reported it in detail, patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) can be vulnerable to COVID-19, because they have poor respiratory excursion. Telemedicine is a very effective way of reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection, as well as reducing the physical, economic, and psychological burden on patients. Aim: To evaluate PD patients’ inclinations to use telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic, because the start of telemedicine in our hospital was being considered. Methods: The subjects were 103 PD patients who visited Fukuoka University Hospital between April 1 and May 8, 2020. These patients completed a 15-item questionnaire survey about telemedicine. Results: A majority of the patients were aware of the availability of telemedicine (77%) and were inclined to use it (60%). Credit card users (P