Reluctance to Video Recording in Functional Movement Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study

Video recording is an important tool for education in movement disorders, particularly in functional movement disorders (FMD). In this study, we examined factors associated with patients' consent to video recording during the neurological examination in individuals with functional and other movement disorders.

In this cross-sectional study, patients with FMD (n = 42), essential tremor (ET) (n = 18), isolated dystonia (n = 34), and Parkinson's disease (PD) (n = 34) underwent a standardized neurological examination. Patients were asked to consent to video recording of the examination. The primary outcome was consent to video recording (yes/no). Health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, depression, and personality traits were assessed using questionnaires.

Of the 128 included patients, 78.9% consented to video recording. Patients with FMD were more likely to refuse video recording than patients with non-FMDs (OR = 4.20, 95% CI (1.73-10.20), p = 0.002). Female sex was associated with a lower likelihood of consenting to be filmed (OR = 0.34, 95% CI (0.12-0.97), p = 0.044). No differences in HRQoL, anxiety, depression, or personality traits were found between patients who declined and those who consented to be filmed.

Patients with FMD were more reluctant to be filmed during the neurological examination than patients with non-FMDs. This difference cannot be explained by sex, comorbidities, or personality traits alone but instead may reflect factors specific to FMD.