Currently submitted to: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Apr 1, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Apr 1, 2026 - May 27, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Stakeholder Perspectives on the Need for Neuro-Orthopedic Telehealth Appointments: A Modified Delphi Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Telemedicine offers potential benefits for patients with chronic neuro-orthopedic conditions, yet its integration into routine care remains limited.
Objective:
This study evaluated stakeholder perspectives on implementing complementary telemedicine consultations at our institution.
Methods:
This study followed a three-round Delphi design. The first round consisted of iterative questionnaire development in collaboration with two neuro-orthopedic specialists. The second and third rounds involved cross-sectional surveys distributed to patients and parents, healthcare professionals, and administrative staff. Participants completed items assessing demand, feasibility, preferred telemedicine settings, and perceived advantages and disadvantages. The first survey was conducted between August and November 2024, and the second between January and February 2025.
Results:
A total of 139 participants responded to the first survey, of whom 78 also replied to the second. High feasibility was reported, with most participants having access to necessary technology (78.6%) and an undisturbed environment (80.3%). The most frequently cited disadvantage across all groups was the inability to perform a physical examination. Potential advantages included faster management of acute concerns, shorter waiting times, improved interprofessional collaboration, and fewer last-minute appointment cancellations. The discussion of results was the preferred telemedicine setting in both rounds for patients/parents. Stakeholders also expressed strong support for multiprofessional consultations, particularly involving physiotherapists and orthopedic technicians.
Conclusions:
There is clear demand for multiprofessional telemedicine consultations in neuro-orthopedics. Based on stakeholder consensus, result-discussion appointments represent the most suitable starting point for implementation, with potential to improve accessibility, reduce travel burden, and support more flexible workflow organization. Clinical Trial: Since this is not a RCT we did not register this study.
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