Multiple Sclerosis Patient Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Practical Recommendations From the Portuguese Multiple Sclerosis Study Group (GEEM).

ABSTRACT: The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has imposed significant challenges on healthcare provision, requiring changes in the conventional patient management, particularly in chronic diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). To increase patient safety and reduce the risk of infection, while ensuring an appropriate and regular follow-up, tele-medicine gained prominence as a valid alternative to face-to-face appointments. However, the urgency of the implementation and the lack of experience in most MS centers led to "ad hoc" and extremely diverse approaches, which now merit to be standardized and refined. Indeed, while tele-consultation cannot fully replace face-to-face visits, it certainly can, and will, be incorporated as part of the routine care of MS patients in the near future. Bearing t

SUBMITTER: Cerqueira JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8006454 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature