ABSTRACT
Telemedicine/telehealth examinations became widely used as a way of preventing the spread of infection during the COVID-19 pandemic which began in 2019. It was soon realized that there were other advantages to this type of assessment, in particular saving patients living in remote regions or with limited mobility the need to make their way to clinic. But how did this type of assessment compare with the traditional assessment, especially in a discipline like neurology, which still places much emphasis on the clinical examination? Was it safe? Almost all published studies, including some randomized controlled trials, have confirmed effectiveness of telehealth clinical assessments and outcomes when compared with face-to-face consultations. Neurological disorders which can be assessed by taking a careful history, lend themselves particularly to telemedicine. These might include follow-up visits for epilepsy and other paroxysmal disorders such as headaches, but for most diseases, it is preferable for the assessment, especially the initial evaluation, to be done in the traditional way.
