title: Role of telemedicine in providing tertiary neurological care.
abstract: Remote consultation via telemedicine for neurologic indications is in the mainstream. This holds most true for cerebrovascular concerns such as acute stroke, but its use has extended into most of the breadth of neurologic subspecialty practice. This is ostensibly a major advance for enhancing access to neurologic specialty care and a path toward better outcomes overall. Currently, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials and health economic analyses to support this conclusion. The continued use and expansion of teleneurologic practice is encouraged, so long as it is accompanied by clinical data tracking and leads to more randomized controlled trials. A solid evidence base should be established for its use such that future trials and monetary investments can be made with a better understanding of what teleneurology has to offer patients and society.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Mark N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Kay E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Wellik
authors.forename: Dwight D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Channer
authors.forename: Bart M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Demaerschalk