ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Neurol.
Sec. Headache and Neurogenic Pain
Telemedicine for Headache Follow-Up: Feasibility, Clinical Outcomes, and Patient-Reported Experience from a Prospective Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Foggia, Foggia, Italy
- 2Universita degli Studi di Foggia, Foggia, Italy
- 3Regione Basilicata, Potenza, Italy
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Background Telemedicine has emerged as a promising tool in neurology, particularly for teleconsultation. However, its role in headache management still requires further investigation, especially regarding patient satisfaction, feasibility, and perceived benefits. Methods We conducted a prospective observational study at the Headache Outpatient Clinic of the A.O.U. of Foggia, enrolling 45 patients with primary headache. Each participant completed two virtual teleconsultations (4–8 weeks apart) using the PHASE platform. After each visit, patients filled out a validated 20-item questionnaire (Cronbach's α = 0.92) assessing usability, communication quality, and perceived benefits. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, inferential tests, correlation analyses, and effect-size estimates. Results All patients successfully completed both teleconsultations (Table 1). Overall satisfaction was very high (mean > 9/10 for both visits), with more than 90% reporting a positive experience. Ease of use reached an average of 6/7, with a significant improvement from T1 to T2. Over 85% of participants reported tangible savings in both time and costs. Willingness to repeat teleconsultations was high (~6.7/7) and further increased at the second follow-up. Correlation analyses revealed strong associations between satisfaction, time savings, and willingness to continue using telemedicine. Effect-size estimates confirmed consistently positive perceptions, compatible with a ceiling effect. Reported limitations were minor and related mainly to occasional technical issues and the inability to perform a full neurological examination. Conclusions A structured telemedicine protocol for headache follow-up proved feasible, effective, and highly acceptable. Teleconsultations enhanced the perceived quality of care and optimized resource use, supporting their integration into routine neurological follow-up. Larger multicenter studies are needed to confirm these findings and expand the available evidence.
Keywords: Telemedicine, Headache, Teleconsultation, Patient Satisfaction, Neurological care, follow-up
Received: 16 Sep 2025; Accepted: 17 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Grasso, Avolio, Raunich and Mundi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Roberta Grasso, roberta.grasso@hotmail.it
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