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Feasibility of regional center telehealth visits utilizing a rural research network in people with Parkinson’s disease

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2024

Tuhin Virmani*
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Lakshmi Pillai
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Veronica Smith
Affiliation:
Translational Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA Rural Research Network, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Aliyah Glover
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Derek Abrams
Affiliation:
Regional Programs, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Phillip Farmer
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Shorabuddin Syed
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Horace J. Spencer
Affiliation:
Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Aaron Kemp
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Kendall Barron
Affiliation:
Regional Programs, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Tammaria Murray
Affiliation:
Regional Programs, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Brenda Morris
Affiliation:
Regional Programs, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Bendi Bowers
Affiliation:
Regional Programs, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Angela Ward
Affiliation:
Regional Programs, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Terri Imus
Affiliation:
Institute for Digital Health and Innovation, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Linda J. Larson-Prior
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Mitesh Lotia
Affiliation:
Department of Neurology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
Fred Prior
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA
*
Corresponding author: T. Virmani; Email: TVirmani@uams.edu
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Abstract

Background:

Impaired motor and cognitive function can make travel cumbersome for People with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). Over 50% of PwPD cared for at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Movement Disorders Clinic reside over 30 miles from Little Rock. Improving access to clinical care for PwPD is needed.

Objective:

To explore the feasibility of remote clinic-to-clinic telehealth research visits for evaluation of multi-modal function in PwPD.

Methods:

PwPD residing within 30 miles of a UAMS Regional health center were enrolled and clinic-to-clinic telehealth visits were performed. Motor and non-motor disease assessments were administered and quantified. Results were compared to participants who performed at-home telehealth visits using the same protocols during the height of the COVID pandemic.

Results:

Compared to the at-home telehealth visit group (n = 50), the participants from regional centers (n = 13) had similar age and disease duration, but greater disease severity with higher total Unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale scores (Z = −2.218, p = 0.027) and lower Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores (Z = −3.350, p < 0.001). Regional center participants had lower incomes (Pearson’s chi = 21.3, p < 0.001), higher costs to attend visits (Pearson’s chi = 16.1, p = 0.003), and lived in more socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods (Z = −3.120, p = 0.002). Prior research participation was lower in the regional center group (Pearson’s chi = 4.5, p = 0.034) but both groups indicated interest in future research participation.

Conclusions:

Regional center research visits in PwPD in medically underserved areas are feasible and could help improve access to care and research participation in these traditionally underrepresented populations.

Information

Type
Research Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Association for Clinical and Translational Science
Figure 0

Figure 1. Distribution of people with Parkinson’s disease living in medically underserved areas in Arkansas who obtain their clinical care at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) movement disorders clinic. The star indicates the location of UAMS’ main campus in Little Rock while the circles depict the locations of the UAMS regional centers (rural research network) around the state. Despite the higher socioeconomic status of central and NW Arkansas, a significant portion of the medically underserved population cared for at the UAMS MDC resides in central Arkansas. However, PwPD residing in medically underserved areas cared for at UAMS are scattered around the state and located in areas with clusters of underserved people around them.

Figure 1

Table 1. Participant demographics and results of clinical and research assessments

Figure 2

Table 2. Participant satisfaction survey results

Figure 3

Figure 2. Area deprivation index of participants. Distribution of Area Deprivation Index (ADI) scores of study participants using (A) Arkansas state-only deciles and (B) national percentiles for regional center (green square) and -at-home (purple circle) participants. Results are plotted as means with 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 4

Figure 3. Area deprivation index compared to disease measures. Scatter plots of Arkansas state-only Area Deprivation Index (ADI) scores compared to participant (A) motor and (B) total Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores, (C) Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores, (D) quality of life scores, (E) Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, and (F) time to complete the Timed Up and Go (TUG) task. Blue circles denote at-home participants while orange circles denote regional center participants. Linear regression lines are plotted for the entire population. Arrow direction indicates worse performance on the assessment.

Figure 5

Table 3. Research staff survey

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