Examining Device Usage Patterns in Outpatient Telemedicine Video Visits among Movement Disorders Patients

Mitra Afshari ¹, Vijay G Palakuzhy ¹, Bichun Ouyang ²

⁰Department of Neurology and Rehabilitation, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Movement Disorders Clinical Practice +

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August 29, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Mobile devices dominate telemedicine visits, especially for younger and lower-income patients. This trend emphasizes optimizing mobile platforms for virtual care and research in Movement Disorders.

Area Of Science

Neurology
Digital Health
Health Services Research

Background

Telemedicine enhances healthcare access, but device utilization for virtual consultations requires further investigation.
Understanding device preferences is crucial for equitable telemedicine implementation.

Purpose Of The Study

To analyze device usage patterns in video televisits within a Movement Disorders clinic.
To examine how sociodemographic factors influence device selection for virtual care.

Main Methods

Retrospective analysis of 2181 video televisits over three years.
Categorization of devices into mobile (smartphones/tablets) and personal computers (desktops/laptops).
Analysis of usage patterns across age, sex, race, and income.

Main Results

Mobile devices were used in 88% of video televisits.
Patients under 60 years old showed a significant preference for mobile devices (91%, p=0.002).
Lower-income patients exclusively used mobile devices; age under 60 predicted mobile usage (OR 1.55, p=0.0005).

Conclusions

Mobile device use is prevalent in telemedicine across diverse sociodemographic groups.
There is a need to enhance mobile telemedicine platforms and utilize mobile devices for teleresearch in Movement Disorders.
Findings underscore the increasing integration of mobile technology in healthcare delivery.

Keywords:

Parkinson's disease digital divide healthcare access healthcare disparities telemedicine