Jennifer Robblee, MD: Advice for Conducting Telemedicine Examinations

“A huge part of what we do in neurology is the actual history, and nothing is going to change unless you’re having technical difficulties—so that’s the great news.”

As many of the country’s neurologists have been pushed into their homes and offices due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number are beginning to rely almost solely on telemedicine to provide care to their patients. And while this has helped speed up the integration of telemedicine into care, one of the biggest challenges has been adjusting normal aspects of care into a virtual setting.

Jennifer Robblee, MD, neurologist, Jan and Tom Lewis Migraine Treatment Program, and assistant professor of neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, has had plenty of experience with telemedicine in her career. In an interview with NeurologyLive, she detailed how her history with the technology has made this transition smoother.

Robblee, who hosted a Facebook Live event for the American Headache Society on this exact topic, detailed her advice for fellow neurologists and headache specialists on conducting neurological examinations over telemedicine with an audio/video telemedicine, including creative ways of conducting specific exams, how to keep the patient involved in the process, and what the reception has been from her patients who have been getting their care this way.