Pavel Klein, MD

“But now, that small risk carries a heavier weight with it. And so, patients would rather not make changes with their medication. Same goes for dosing adjustments.”

One of the main focal points throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the earlier days, was whether clinicians needed to adjust their prescription and treatment strategies for their patients. This thought developed from the uncertainties surrounding how the virus could potentially alter the disease paths of those with neurological disorders.

Changing a prescription or treatment strategy includes having multiple discussions around choosing the correct treatment, optimizing dosing regimens, and understanding the adverse effects, according to Pavel Klein, MD. Klein, the director of the Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center, claims that even just suggesting a change in treatment was difficulty for his patients because of the limitations that come with the lack of in-person visits. Furthermore, Klein stated that changing medications does not automatically infer success in treatment, which led to some pull back on such decisions.

, Klein provided perspective on why there was skepticism from patients to change their treatment strategies during the pandemic, and whether the process is actually worth it for the patient and their physician.

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The director of the Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center in Bethesda, Maryland, explained when and how prescription management changed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pavel Klein, MD: Changing Prescription Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“You cannot compensate Zoom over that face-to-face interaction. You don’t get to know the person as well when you’re not in the room with them. This may not be such an issue for someone you’ve cared for over 20 years… But it certainly impacts getting to know someone for the first time.”

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians have been forced to adapt to technological strategies of seeing and treating patients from their homes. This lack of in-person visits has its pros and cons. On one hand, it further accelerated the clinical care use of telemedicine for treating patients, something that has been continually building for years, while also appealing to those who may be a long distance from their clinician.

On the other hand, there are limitations that come with it. Pavel Klein, MD, director, Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center, in Bethesda, Maryland, feels that the in-person patient-clinician dynamic is not the same with these technology-based visits, and takes away from the personal relationship that comes with treating patients. He also stressed that technology may decelerate the relationship process for those who are meeting a clinician for the first time.

 to discuss the increased role of telemedicine since the beginning of the pandemic and how it has impacted the patient-clinician relationship.

The director of the Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center in Bethesda, Maryland, shared his thoughts on how technology has affected patient care and the patient-physician dynamic during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pavel Klein, MD: Telemedicine Impact on Patient-Clinician Relationship

“For them, much of the energy they have is discharged through physical activity. Now, that physical activity is constrained.”

Throughout much of the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians and researchers have tried to understand whether the virus would impact certain neurological disorders and their treatment regimens. In a year which the United States was placed under heavy lockdown for the majority of the time with restrictions that followed, patients were forced to make adjustments to how they meet their doctors, as well as to the access they may have to clinical care.

Through there have not been any concrete data to show which epilepsy populations have been hindered more by the pandemic, Pavel Klein, MD, indicated that those with developmental abnormalities have likely been impacted the most. Klein, the director of the Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center in Bethesda, MD, and clinical professor, George Washington University, feels as though this patient population is at a higher risk due to the increased number of comorbidities associated with their disease.

, Klein provided context on which epilepsy populations may have been impacted the most by the pandemic, as well as why the lack of physical activity has an even greater detriment to these patients.

The director of the Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center in Bethesda, Maryland, discussed whether certain epilepsy populations were affected greater by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Author | Pavel Klein, MD

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