Clinical Excellence and Standards of Care

TP17 - TeleSCOPE — A Real-world Study of Telehealth for the Detection and Treatment of Drug-induced Movement Disorders

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

1:30 PM – 2:00 PM

Location: Gaylord National, Prince George's Prefunction

Poster Presenter(s)

Rimal Bera, MD

Clinical Professor, Psychiatry, Psychiatry and Human Behavior
UCI Medical Center
Orange, California
KM

Kendra Martello, JD

Executive Director, Public Policy
Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
San Diego, California

One of the unexpected consequences of the shift from in-person visits to telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic was its effect on the management of tardive dyskinesia (TD) and other drug-induced movement disorders (DIMDs). TeleSCOPE, a survey study of clinicians with DIMD expertise, indicated that the presence of caregivers during virtual visits improved the likelihood of accurate DIMD evaluations. In-person visits continue to be the gold standard for managing DIMDs, but telehealth is a viable option, especially with the use of video and appropriate preparation, including pre-visit patient questionnaires.

Learning Objectives:

Challenges to optimal telehealth effectiveness: lack of patient access to computers, need for more clinician/staff training, lack of awareness of coverage, and need for sufficient fee reimbursement.
Recognize factors associated with telehealth that increase the risk of a missed or incorrect DIMD diagnosis (e.g., difficulty assessing gait/falls/walking/balance), potentially contributing to inappropriate treatments (e.g., anticholinergics for TD).
The importance of caregiver participation in improving the likelihood of a DIMD evaluation at virtual visits.