Teleneurology: an overview of current status

Teleneurology is an evolving branch of telemedicine. It may be defined as neurological consultation at a distance, or not in person, using various technologies to achieve connectivity, including the telephone and the internet. Teleneurology, encompassing teleconsultation, teleconferencing and tele-education, may be clinician- or patient-initiated. Neurologists have reported on telemedicine applied to specific neurological conditions, including headache, dementia, epilepsy, stroke, movement disorders and multiple sclerosis. Clinician initiatives have perhaps been most notable in stroke, stimulated by the urgency of patient assessment prior to decisions on thrombolytic treatment. The use of patient-initiated teleneurology is increasing through the widespread availability of the internet and the use of search engines--resources that may impact on the traditional clinician-patient relationship. Teleneurology will increasingly impact on all neurologists.