A telephone survey of 520 patients with neuromuscular disease (including 42.9% myasthenia gravis, 21.5% neuropathy, 18.1% myopathy, 8.3% motor neuron disease) followed at 10 North American specialty centers between May and August 2020 shows that:
- 50% prefer in-person consultations, 26% prefer virtual consultations, and the rest have no preference;
- 64% consider physical interaction “very important”;
- 40% are concerned about the lack of physical examination;
- 20% are worried about the lack of assessment of their vital signs;
- 92% are comfortable with remote communication technologies (video conferencing, telephone);
- 84% consider that virtual consultations are sufficiently confidential;
- 68% think that the financial aspect is not a criterion influencing their preference.
Other studies could be conducted taking into account the type of neuromuscular disease and the distance between home and the consultation site.
