Using Telemedicine to Manage Psychosis in Neurodegenerative Diseases: George Grossberg, MD

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"What we found was that telehealth and the equipment that’s available to us was quite effective in being able to work with patients and families. In fact, it’s quite sensitive to picking up on disorders like psychotic symptomology early with the help of the professional caregivers in the nursing home and the help of family caregivers when we see patients in their own home."

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the global implementation of telemedicine strategies, including in long-term care (LTC) facilities where people with dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions (PD) reside. To address these challenges, a multidisciplinary consensus panel was convened to develop best practices for LTC facilities and those who treat residents when utilizing telemedicine to care for residents with dementia-related psychosis or Parkinson disease-related psychosis.

Notable takeaways include the need for a multidisciplinary approach that involves a specialist, the LTC administrator, and staff. They panel also detailed the advantages and limitations of telemedicine and the best practices for how LTC staff and specialists can address technical challenges. The recommendations also touch upon both evaluation and diagnosis and why actively soliciting information before and during visits is crucial to the quality of patient-physician experiences.

Senior author George Grossberg, MD, the Samuel W. Fordyce professor and director, Geriatric Psychiatry, St. Louis University School of Medicine, sat down with NeurologyLive^® to discuss the reasoning behind the recommendations, advantages of telemedicine, and why there needs to be additional emphasis on psychiatric symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders as the pandemic continues.

REFERENCE
1. Shaughnessy L, Brunton S, Chepke C, Farmer JG, Rosenzweig AS, Grossberg G. Using telemedicine to assess and manage psychosis in neurodegenerative diseases in long-term care. J Am Med Dir Assoc. Published online January 12, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2021.12.033