Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35018548›Full record

ArticleNeurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology2022

Reliability of televisits for patients with mild relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis in the COVID-19 era.

Simona Toscano, Francesco Patti, Clara Grazia Chisari, Sebastiano Arena, Chiara Finocchiaro, Carmela Elita Schillaci, Mario Zappia

Erratum issuedOpen access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
0.6field-weighted citation impact, top 36% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Simona Toscano *Department "G.F. Ingrassia", Section of Neurosciences, Neurology Clinic, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123, Catania, Italy.
Francesco Patti *Department "G.F. Ingrassia", Section of Neurosciences, Neurology Clinic, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123, Catania, Italy. patti@unict.it.
Clara Grazia ChisariDepartment "G.F. Ingrassia", Section of Neurosciences, Neurology Clinic, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123, Catania, Italy.
Sebastiano ArenaDepartment "G.F. Ingrassia", Section of Neurosciences, Neurology Clinic, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123, Catania, Italy.
Chiara FinocchiaroDepartment "G.F. Ingrassia", Section of Neurosciences, Neurology Clinic, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123, Catania, Italy.
Carmela Elita SchillaciDepartment of Economics and Business, University of Catania, 95129, Catania, Italy.
Mario ZappiaDepartment "G.F. Ingrassia", Section of Neurosciences, Neurology Clinic, University of Catania, Via Santa Sofia 78, 95123, Catania, Italy.
University of Catania · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEvidence of the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine (TM) for the management of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has been provided recently. However, some doubts persist about the accuracy of neurological examinations performed remotely.

objectivesThis study investigated the reliability of neurological evaluations performed through TM in mild MS patients as compared with standard in-person visits.

methodsIn total, 76 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) ≤ 3.5 were consecutively recruited. Of them, 40 patients (52.6%) accepted to undergo both in-person and TM evaluations with independent examiners within 48 h. We alternatively asked patients to assure or not the presence of a caregiver during TM visits. A satisfaction questionnaire was administered to all participants.

resultsThe inter-rater agreement attributed by two independent neurologists during TM visit was high (κ > 0.80) for EDSS and Functional Systems (FS) scores. Moderate agreement between TM and in-person evaluations emerged for pyramidal (κ = 0.57; p < 0.001), brainstem (κ = 0.57; p < 0.001), bowel and bladder (κ = 0.54; p < 0.001) and sensory (κ = 0.51; p < 0.001) FS scores, higher in patients providing the support of a caregiver. A good reliability was reported for EDSS scores computed during remote and in-person visits (ICC = 0.83; 95% CI 0.70-0.91; p < 0.001).

conclusionsDespite the complexity of neurological examination, TM could be useful in monitoring MS patients with low disability.

Indexed as

COVID-19Multiple SclerosisMultiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-RemittingDisability EvaluationHumansReproducibility of ResultsSARS-CoV-2COVID-19EDSSe-healthMultiple sclerosisNeurological examinationTelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID35018548
PMCPMC8751468
OpenAlexW4206680943

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.