24 April 2021, Expert meeting: In this slide deck Mona Alkhawajah and Carlo Pozzilli discuss the history of telemedicine and how innovative approaches are being developed to care for MS patients in this post-COVID world in which we now live.
ABSTRACT
‘Telemedicine’ infers the use of digital technologies to deliver healthcare services to patients at a distance. While telemedicine was previously considered an interesting concept to save on time and resources, its importance was quickly seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, where the medical community was obliged to find ways to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare service provision while minimising the risk of disease transmission.
In this presentation, Drs Mona Alkhawajah and Carlo Pozzilli cover all the important aspects of telemedicine. By looking back on the history of telemedicine, they project us forward to its potential role in the care of the multiple sclerosis (MS) patient. A thorough analysis is provided of new applications for telemedicine, issues that need to be considered when implementing this technology, what the challenges are, and how they can be overcome.
MONA ALKHAWAJAH
Dr. Mona Alkhawajah is currently a Consultant Neurologist at the Neurosciences Department of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh (KFSHRC-R), and is an Assistant Professor at Al Faisal University. . She has been the Program Director of the Neurology Residency Training Program at KFSHRC-R for almost 5 years. Dr. Mona Alkhawajah received her Medical Degree from King Saud University, Riyadh. She then pursued her residency training in Neurology at KFSHRC-R. After obtaining her Saudi Board in Neurology, she completed her Fellowship in Neuroimmunology at the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, Canada. That was followed by another fellowship in Neuromuscular Diseases at Vancouver General Hospital. Dr. Alkhawajah is currently conducting several research projects in the field of MS. She has established the first Multiple Sclerosis support group in the Kingdom, the first meeting took place in June 2014. She is the organizer of the first (2015) and second (2017) walk for MS in Saudi Arabia, and is actively involved in educating the public about MS through conferences and media.
CARLO POZZILLI
Professor Pozzilli studied at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. He then moved to the Hammersmith Hospital in London, UK, to take up a research post in 1980.In 1983, he became a Board Certified Neurologist at the University of Rome. In 1986 obtained a research grant in Neuroimaging at the Tohoku University, Sendai Japan.In 1987, he was awarded a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences by the University of Rome, where he became Full Professor in 2006. In 2002 he funded and become Director of the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Center of OspedaleS.Andrea, University of Rome which is his actual position.
Professor Pozzilli’s fields of interest include the clinical aspects and treatment of MS; he has published more than 350 papers and reviews on these subjects.
Professor Pozzilli is a member of several National and International Societies.
He has participated as a first investigator in at least 250 multicentre clinical trials on patients with MS. He was also member of the Steering Committee and Advisory Board inseveral multicentre trials.
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