1. Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on frequency of clinical visits, performance of MRI studies, and therapeutic choices in a multiple sclerosis referral centre
- Author
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Alvaro Cobo-Calvo, Ana Zabalza, Jordi Río, Georgina Arrambide, Susana Otero-Romero, Paula Tagliani, Simón Cárdenas-Robledo, Mireia Castillo, Carmen Espejo, Marta Rodriguez, Pere Carbonell, Breogán Rodríguez, Luciana Midaglia, Ángela Vidal-Jordana, Carmen Tur, Ingrid Galan, Joaquín Castillo, Manuel Comabella, Carlos Nos, Cristina Auger, Mar Tintoré, Àlex Rovira, Xavier Montalban, and Jaume Sastre-Garriga
- Subjects
Standards of care ,Original Communication ,Multiple Sclerosis ,Neurology ,SARS-CoV-2 ,COVID-19 ,Humans ,Neurology (clinical) ,Magnetic Resonance Imaging ,Pandemics ,Referral and Consultation ,Telemedicine ,Retrospective Studies - Abstract
Introduction To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on (1) number of clinical visits, (2) magnetic resonance (MR) scans, and (3) treatment prescriptions in a multiple sclerosis (MS) referral centre. Methods Retrospective study covering January 2018 to May 2021. Results The monthly mean (standard deviation [SD]) of visits performed in 2020 (814[137.6]) was similar to 2018 (741[99.7]; p = 0.153), and 2019 (797[116.3]; p = 0.747). During the COVID-19 period (2020 year), 36.3% of the activity was performed through telemedicine. The number of MR scans performed dropped by 76.6% during the “first wave” (March 14 to June 21, 2020) compared to the mean monthly activity in 2020 (183.5[68.9]), with a recovery during the subsequent two months. The monthly mean of treatment prescriptions approved in 2020 (24.1[7.0]) was lower than in 2019 (30[7.0]; p = 0.049), but similar to 2018 (23.8[8.0]; p = 0.727). Natalizumab prescriptions increased in the “first wave” and onwards, whereas anti-CD20 prescriptions decreased during the COVID-19 period. Conclusion Maintenance of the number of clinical visits was likely due to telemedicine adoption. Although the number of MR dramatically dropped during the “first wave”, an early recovery was observed. Treatment prescriptions suffered a slight quantitative decrease during 2020, whereas substantial qualitative changes were found in specific treatments.
- Published
- 2022
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