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International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Asynchronous Consultations for Movement Disorders

Using telemedicine to provide state-of-the-art access to care that is otherwise unavailable in underserviced regions in Africa.

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About the program

The ACMD Program supports African physicians in their care of movement disorder patients by providing telemedicine consultation from specialized experts across the globe. 

The project's unique asynchronous model overcomes geographic and time zone barriers. Access to secure communication channels and standardized evaluation protocols help local physicians collaborate with global experts without the need for real-time connection:

  • Local physicians in Africa can request consultation on a movement disorder case
  • A project manager connects each case to a specialized expert
  • Physicians share standardized exam information and reports via secure storage channels
  • The consulting physician advises referring physicians about diagnosis and treatment recommendations

Program successes

  • Both referring and consulting physicians have expressed high satisfaction with the program since its pilot in 2015
  • An initial evaluation found that the telemedicine consultations impacted the evaluation and treatment in 80% of cases. 
  • It was awarded a Power of A Gold Award in 2018

How it Works

Once registered, physicians in Africa can request consultation on a movement disorder case by submitting a video and case summary through WhatsApp Messenger, which is secure through end-to-end encryption. The ACMD project manager connects each case to a specialized expert to consult on the case with the referring physician about diagnosis and treatment recommendations. 
 

Submitting a Case

Prior to submitting a case, first-time referring physicians must register in the ACMD Program by completing the following form.

Register now »
The form requires you to enter your contact details and acknowledge a disclaimer regarding the volunteer nature of the service.

Once your registration is received, you will receive the WhatsApp number for case submission. 

The following information is required for each case:

  1. Patient’s gender 
  2. Patients age
  3. Relevant medical history including current medications, family history, results of tests completed, etc
  4. Summary of the issue you wish the consulting physician to provide guidance on
  5. A video highlighting the patient’s movements
  6. Any additional pertinent information

If you have not previously attached videos to WhatsApp messages, review general instructions about how to attach videos to WhatsApp messages.
 

Consultation 

The ACMD project manager shares the case with a consulting physician. It can take up to 3-4 business days to receive feedback.

 

For questions or to request more information please contact Sheara Guttman, ACMD Project Manager, at sheara.guttman@gmail.com.

Disclaimer

The Asynchronous Consultation in Movement Disorders project is designed to provide physician-to-physician support as part of a philanthropic program by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. Consultant Physicians, by participating in this project, are being asked to assist Referring Physicians with information on how they may diagnose and treat patients under the Referring Physicians’ care. The Consultant Physician is acting in a volunteer capacity and is not compensated for his or her time.  The Consultant Physician is not responsible for patient care in any way, and is only giving advice to the Referring Physician. Neither the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society nor any Consultant Physician make any warranties whatsoever whether express or implied. No physician-patient relationship between the Consulting Physician and patient is formed as a result of this project. Patient care responsibility, in its entirety, resides solely with the Referring Physician. The Referring Physician will determine which aspects of the advice provided by the Consultant Physician, if any, will be acted upon and will be responsible for all aspects of patient care. By agreeing to these conditions, the Consultant Physician agrees to provide physician to physician advice and will not be considered legally responsible for any aspect of patient care. Furthermore, the Referring Physician agrees to indemnify the Consultant Physician and the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society from any legal issues arising from advice given.
 
A “Consultant Physician” is a movement disorder specialist who is affiliated with the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society who is providing advice to a physician in a resource-limited area. A “Referring Physician” is a physician in a resource-limited area who is requesting the advice of a Consultant Physician.

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