The Attitude of Neurosurgeons Toward Telemedicine During COVID-۱۹ Pandemic

Background and Aim: Telemedicine can be considered a primary modality of patient care for non-emergent conditions in the COVID-۱۹ era. The usage and expansion of telemedicine are important and inevitable issues. We decided to investigate the neurosurgeons’ perspective on telemedicine in the treatment and follow-up of neurosurgical patients during the COVID-۱۹ period. Methods and Materials/Patients: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Neurosurgery, Tehran, from June ۲۰۲۱ to July ۲۰۲۱. An internet-based questionnaire was distributed among all postgraduate and assistant neurosurgeons at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Statistical analysis was performed using SPPS (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version ۲۴.۰. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp; ۲۰۱۶). Results: This study was performed among ۷۴ neurosurgeons who were mainly male (۸۹.۲%). Their mean age was ۳۳.۱۶±۵.۶۹ years (ranging from ۲۷ to ۶۲ years), and telemedicine has not been used previously in ۳۷ precipitants (۵۰%). Most precipitants preferred telemedicine for follow-up (۹۳.۲۴%). The common reasons for unimplemented telemedicine were determined by insurance and repayment obstacles (۵۸.۱۱%). Most of the participants believed that telemedicine should first be adapted to working condition and local setting, then it can be applied more in the future. Eventually, the effectiveness of telemedicine was controversial, according to most neurosurgeons’ replies. Conclusion: This study indicated neurosurgeons’ preference for telemedicine. They considered it a comfortable alternative. However, the effectiveness of telemedicine is controversial as it should be adapted first and then used extensively for future purposes. It is also suggested that future studies compare the results of this research with those of studies performed after the COVID-۱۹ outbreak.