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Purpose: The emergence of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has led to public health restrictions and a shift towards virtual care and telehealth. The aim of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators of virtual care from the perspective of neurological and psychiatric patients. Methods: One-on-one interviews were conducted remotely using telephone and online video teleconferencing. There was a total of 57 participants, and a thematic content analysis was conducted using NVivo software. Results: The two main themes were (1) virtual health service delivery and (2) virtual physician/patient interaction, with subthemes around how virtual care improved accessibility of care for patients and improved patient-centered care; how privacy and technical issues impact patients using virtual care; and the need for relationality and connection between health care providers and patients while using virtual care. Conclusions: This study showed that virtual care can increase accessibility and efficiency for patients and providers, indicating its potential for ongoing use in the delivery of clinical care. Virtual care was found to be an acceptable mode of healthcare delivery from the perspective of patients; however, there is a continued need for relationship-building between care providers and patients.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with greater risk and earlier onset of dementia. This study investigated whether later-life changes in subjective cognition and behavior – potential markers of AD – could be observed in cognitively unimpaired older persons with a history of suspected mild TBI (smTBI) earlier in life and whether changes in cognition and behavior mediated the link between smTBI and daily function.

ABSTRACT:Background:The public health measure restrictions across the world due to COVID-19 have inadvertently impacted the routines for people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and their care partners not only in terms of compromised neurological clinical care but also drastically changing the way of life to minimize the risk of becoming infected. This study explores initial PD patients’ lived experiences to observe how quality of life and health care has been affected at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide insight into the importance of patient engagement and virtual care.Methods:Twenty-two virtual, in-depth semi-structured interviews with persons diagnosed with PD who usually attend a Movement Disorders specialty clinic in Calgary, Alberta, were completed between April 28 and May 13, 2020, and the care partners that wished to participate. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, after which transcripts were analyzed and coded into relevant themes using NVivo 12.Results:Impacts from the public health measures and COVID-19 results into three main themes: (1) Impacts of COVID-19 on PD Clinical Care; (2) Activities of Daily Living; (3) Attitudes and Perceptions. Participants reported worsening in motor and nonmotor symptoms and had to accommodate to clinical care via virtual means which were associated with limitations and suggestions for improvement of remote care.Conclusion:This study provides a unique opportunity for researchers to better understand the lived experiences of PD patients in all aspects of their life suggesting that innovative means are needed for facilitating virtual health care medicine and increased social interaction.

Purpose:Our small-scale qualitative study sought to explore the experiences of Indigenous patients receiving care for cleft lip and/or palate at a multidisciplinary clinic. There currently are no published studies that demonstrate the experiences of cleft lip and/or palate patients receiving care in multidisciplinary clinics in Canada. This work is foundational to informing future care in a way that is reflective and cognizant of Indigenous ways of life and lived experiences. Method:Participants were recruited via purposive and snowball sampling through community networks and public advertising in relevant healthcare spaces. Semi-structured interviews were completed; transcribed verbatim and descriptive codes were generated using Indigenist research methodologies through the Blackfoot medicine wheel. Results:Five participants that included patients, parents of patients with cleft lip and/or palate, and Indigenous health liasions were interviewed. Participants indicated a lack of spiritual health, the physical demands of having a cleft lip and/or palate on a patient and their families, the fear and unknown associated with a new cleft lip and/or palate diagnosis, and lack of cultural support, awareness and racism may negatively impact mental health. Conclusion:Indigenous patients must receive cleft lip and/or palate care that is cognizant of both their cultural needs identified in our study but also reflective of the ways in which health may be conceptualized for Indigenous patients. The following models of care suggested in our study must also seek to address historic mandates that include UNDRIP and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.

The emergence of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) led to distancing measures which acutely affected healthcare infrastructure, leading to limited in-person clinical visits and an increased number of virtual appointments. This study aimed to examine the effects this had on adults with hydrocephalus by describing the lived experiences of a cohort of patients at an outpatient hydrocephalus clinic. Between early May and early July of 2020, remote structured interviews were conducted with participants. Interviews were in-depth and open-ended, allowing participants to reflect and expand on the effects of the social distancing mandate on their well-being and quality of care. Three themes emerged: (1) impacts of changes in treatment provision, (2) impacts of changes in mitigating activities, and (3) impacts of changes on personal well-being. The comprehensive understanding of lived experiences may inform the future provision of healthcare services and social policy. Improved approaches to remote care telemedicine have the potential to facilitate high-quality care.

The recent diagnosis of Terry Pratchett with Alzheimer’s disease has once again thrown the spotlight on the fate and lives of younger people with dementia living in the United Kingdom (UK). Far too often the needs and experiences of younger people with dementia, i.e. those aged under the age of 65 years, are overlooked even though the group total around 15 000 people in the UK (Alzheimer’s Society, 2007), and are in need of specialist service provision, as recommended by current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines, Dementia: Supporting People With Dementia and Their Carers in Health and Social Care(NICE, 2006). This specialist service provision is all the more pressing as younger people with dementia are likely to be living through discrete and enduring mid-life challenges, such as mortgage repayments, meeting children’s university and accommodation fees, caring for parents and career pressures; such pressures ripple through the entire family unit and disruption is felt by all.