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Introduction/aimsIt is unknown if patients with neuromuscular diseases prefer in-person or virtual telemedicine visits. We studied patient opinions and preference on virtual versus in-person visits, and the factors influencing such preferences.MethodsTelephone surveys, consisting of 11 questions, of patients from 10 neuromuscular centers were completed.ResultsFive hundred and twenty surveys were completed. Twenty-six percent of respondents preferred virtual visits, while 50% preferred in-person visits. Sixty-four percent reported physical interaction as "very important." For receiving a new diagnosis, 55% preferred in-person vs 35% reporting no preference. Forty percent were concerned about a lack of physical examination vs 20% who were concerned about evaluating vital signs. Eighty four percent reported virtual visits were sufficiently private. Sixty eight percent did not consider expenses a factor in their preference. Although 92% were comfortable with virtual communication technology, 55% preferred video communications, and 19% preferred phone calls. Visit preference was not significantly associated with gender, diagnosis, disease severity, or symptom management. Patients who were concerned about a lack of physical exam or assessment of vitals had significantly higher odds of selecting in-person visits than no preference.DiscussionAlthough neither technology, privacy, nor finance burdened patients in our study, more patients preferred in-person visits than virtual visits and 40% were concerned about a lack of physical examination. Interactions that occur with in-person encounters had high importance for patients, reflecting differences in the perception of the patient-physician relationship between virtual and in-person visits.

The conversion of CO 2 into CO as a substitute for processing fossil fuels to produce hydrocarbons is a sustainable, carbon neutral energy technology. However, the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 into a synthesis gas (CO and H 2 ) at a commercial scale requires an efficient electrocatalyst. In this perspective, a series of six new palladium complexes with the general formula [Pd(L)(Y)]Y, where L is a donor-flexible PYA, N 2 , N 6 -bis(1-ethylpyridin-4(1 H )-ylidene)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide, N 2 , N 6 -bis(1-butylpyridin-4(1 H )-ylidene)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide, or N 2 , N 6 -bis(1-benzylpyridin-4(1 H )-ylidene)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide, and Y = OAc or Cl - , were utilized as active electrocatalysts for the conversion of CO 2 into a synthesis gas. These palladium(ii) pincer complexes were synthesized from their respective H-PYA proligands using 1,8-diazobicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) or sodium acetate as a base. All the compounds were successfully characterized by various physical methods of analysis, such as proton and carbon NMR, FTIR, CHN, and single-crystal XRD. The redox chemistry of palladium complexes toward carbon dioxide activation suggested an evident CO 2 interaction with each Pd(ii) catalyst. [Pd( N 2 , N 6 -bis(1-ethylpyridin-4(1 H )-ylidene)pyridine-2,6-dicarboxamide)(Cl)]Cl showed the best electrocatalytic activity for CO 2 reduction into a synthesis gas under the acidic condition of trifluoracetic acid (TFA) with a minimum overpotential of 0.40 V, a maximum turnover frequency (TOF) of 101 s -1 , and 58% FE of CO. This pincer scaffold could be stereochemically tuned with the exploration of earth abundant first row transition metals for further improvements in the CO 2 reduction chemistry., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)