Published in:
14-07-2023 | Telemedicine | Clinical Brief
Care of Children with Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome and Applicability of Telemedicine Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors:
Dev Desai, Priyanka Madaan, Pooja Dhir, Nagita Devi, Renu Suthar, Arushi Gahlot Saini, Dipika Bansal, Naveen Sankhyan, Jitendra Kumar Sahu
Published in:
Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|
Issue 12/2023
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Abstract
This ambispective, observational study evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on managing children with Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS) and the feasibility of telemedicine-based management for IESS. Caregivers of children with IESS were telephonically interviewed using a structured questionnaire and various relevant indices were compared between the study population and a pre-pandemic cohort from the same center. There was a significant increase in diagnostic lag during the pandemic (p = 0.04). Adrenocorticotropic hormone was the first-line antiseizure medication of choice in both cohorts and the response to treatment was also similar. Telemedicine was utilized by around 80% of caregivers and satisfaction rates with telemedicine were high. However, caregivers continued to rate physical consultations higher in preference.