At the MDS 2022 congress, researchers from Kenya described their experience using telehealth to improve the diagnosis of movement disorders in rural regions.
“Kenya has less than 20 neurologists and much fewer movement disorder specialists,” the researchers noted. “Most of these are based in the capital city, leaving regions with a population of more than 30 million without access to care.”
To explore the impact of telehealth on the diagnosis of movement disorders, the researchers examined data from all patients diagnosed with movement disorders at the Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital and an affiliated clinic (Oregon Health Services) in 2020 and 2021. They examined how telehealth was used and how the final diagnosis was made.