Telehealth Adoption Across Neurosurgical Subspecialties at a Single Academic Institution During the COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed health care, forcing providers to adopt and implement telehealth technology to provide continuous care for their patients. Amid this rapid transition from in-person to remote visits, differences in telehealth utilization have arisen among neurosurgical subspecialties. In this study, we analyze the impact of telehealth on neurosurgical healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic at our institution and highlight differences in telehealth utilization across different neurosurgical subspecialties. METHODS: To quantify differences in telehealth utilization, we analyzed all outpatient neurosurgery visits at a single academic institution. Internal surveys were administered to neurosurgeons and to patients to determine both physician and patient satisfaction with telehealth visits. Patient Likelihood-to-Recommend Press-Ganey scores were also evaluated. RESULTS: There was a decrease in outpatient visits during the COVID-19 pandemic in all neurosurgical subspecialties. Telehealth adoption was higher in spine, tumor, and interventional pain than in functional, peripheral nerve, or vascular neurosurgery. Neurosurgeons agreed that telehealth was an efficient (92%) and effective (85%) methodology; however, they noted it was more difficult to evaluate and bond with patients. The majority of patients were satisfied with their video visits and would recommend video visits over in-person visits. CONCLUSIONS: During the COVID-19 pandemic, neurosurgical subspecialties varied in adoption of telehealth, which may be due to the specific nature of each subspecialty and their necessity to perform in-person evaluations. Telehealth visits will likely continue after the pandemic as they can improve clinical efficiency; overall, both patients and physicians are satisfied with health care delivery over video.