Use of telemedicine in stroke outpatient clinic during covid pandemic

Background and Aims: The declaration of a state of alarm for the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 changed abruptly the care of stroke patients, especially in the acute phase. Outpatient clinics were also affected and shifted from a traditional face-to-face model to a mixed model based to a greater extent on telemedicine. Our aim is to analyze the changes made in our stroke outpatient clinic and their implications for the organization. Methods: A descriptive analysis of stroke outpatient consultations during 2019 and 2020 is performed. We analyze the type of consultation: by telephone or face to face. After the beginning of the pandemic, we increased the use of telemedicine with telephone visits for patient checkups. Face-to-face visit was reserved for first visits or for patients whose clinical situation has changed. Results: 4089 consultations were performed: 1960 in 2019 and 2129 in 2020. In 2019, 86.17% of consultations were conducted face-to-face. In 2020, the number of telephone consultations increased to 62.61% of total consultations. No increase in stroke recurrence or post-stroke complications have been identified among the attended stroke population. Conclusions: The use of telemedicine in stroke consultations is feasible and has allowed patients to continue to be safely followed during the pandemic. It has prevented patients from traveling to hospital centers, minimizing their risk of exposure to the virus. Moreover, it has protected professionals by avoiding exposure to patients whose immunological status to COVID is unknown. Due to its usefulness, we believe telemedicine will be consolidated and will continue to be used in the future.