Telemedicine for persons with epilepsy in India: a mixed methods study
Rajeswari Aghoram1, Pradeep P Nair2, Subitha Lakshminarayanan3
1Department of Neurology, SSB, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, D. Nagar, Pondicherry, 605006, India. rajeswari.a@gmail.com.
BMC Health Services Research
|October 24, 2025
Summary
Telemedicine use reached half of persons with epilepsy (PWE) during the pandemic. Barriers included low awareness and digital literacy, while appropriate selection was key for successful telemedicine encounters.
Area of Science:
- Neurology and Public Health
- Digital Health and Telemedicine
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telemedicine adoption globally.
- Understanding telemedicine utilization among persons with epilepsy (PWE) in low-middle-income countries is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the frequency, patterns, and determinants of telemedicine use among PWE.
- To identify facilitators and barriers to telemedicine adoption in epilepsy care.
Main Methods:
- An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews/focus groups.
- Data collected from 770 PWE and 49 physicians across 5 departments.
- Analysis involved descriptive statistics (STATA) and qualitative coding (NVivo).
Main Results:
- Telemedicine was utilized by 50.1% of surveyed PWE.
- Higher education, greater distance from facilities, and lower income were associated with telemedicine use.
- Physicians and PWE identified appropriate patient-provider selection as a facilitator; communication and medication access were key concerns.
Conclusions:
- Telemedicine reached approximately half of PWE during the pandemic, highlighting its potential reach.
- Barriers included PWE's lack of awareness and digital literacy, alongside provider training gaps.
- Optimizing telemedicine requires careful selection of both patients and providers for effective epilepsy management.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:24Epilepsy and Seizures: Overview
1.1K
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease marked by recurrent, unpredictable seizures. These seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, leading to behavior, sensation, or consciousness alterations. They can also cause transient impairment of awareness, interfering with daily activities.
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
Various factors can trigger epilepsy, including genetic factors, brain damage, metabolic causes, and unknown etiology. Diagnosis of epilepsy involves electroencephalography (EEG), which...
1.1K
01:30Electroconvulsive Therapy
864
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or shock therapy, remains a critical biomedical intervention for severe, treatment-resistant depression. While its origins can be traced back to Hippocrates' observations that malaria-induced convulsions alleviated mental illness, modern ECT has evolved significantly from its earlier, more primitive applications. First introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and his colleagues, ECT involves inducing controlled seizures using electrical currents. In its early...
864