Exploring patients’ views on telephone consultations in the seizure clinic: a qualitative interview study

The COVID-19 pandemic brought telemedicine into mainstream medical practice. Although it is widely agreed that telemedicine could be beneficial for patients with seizures, there has been little prior research investigating patients’ views on this subject. In this qualitative study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 patients and one companion about their experiences of telemedicine. We also received written thoughts from one additional patient. Participants’ views fell under three broad themes. The first, “Convenience and practicality”, saw participants praising the flexibility of telephone consultations while noting that such consultations could introduce new practical problems. The second, “(Lack of) shared presence”, covered participants’ generally negative feelings about not being in the same room as their neurologists. The third, “Situation dependency”, saw participants drawing fine distinctions about the circumstances in which face-to-face and telephone consultations were suitable. Overall, although patients with seizures are generally positive about the convenience of telephone consultations, they have concerns about how they may lead to misunderstandings or affect the doctor-patient relationship. These concerns could be assuaged to some extent by offering video consultations or scheduling alternating telephone and face-to-face consultations.