Physician Satisfaction With Virtual Ophthalmology Clinics During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Tertiary Eye Care Center Experience

Abstract

Background In this study, we aimed to assess ophthalmologists’ experience with teleophthalmology during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the central region of Saudi Arabia. In addition, we evaluated their satisfaction level and explored their satisfaction determinants. Methodology We conducted an online survey for ophthalmologists who participated in the virtual ophthalmology clinic during COVID-19 between November 2020 and September 2021. The survey was used to evaluate ophthalmologists’ experience with teleophthalmology during the pandemic. Ophthalmologists were asked to measure their satisfaction with equipment and technical issues, communication, and clinical assessment, and to provide an overall program evaluation. Data were analyzed via frequency measures (e.g., numbers, percentages, mean, and standard deviation). Results Out of the 113 ophthalmologists who were invited to participate in our study, 71 completed the survey. In total, 23 (32.4%) participants were general ophthalmologists, 15 (21.1%) were subspecialists in the cornea, 16 (22.5%) were subspecialists in glaucoma, one (1.4%) was a subspecialist in neuro-ophthalmology, seven (9.9%) were subspecialists in pediatric ophthalmology, eight (11.3%) were subspecialists in the retina, and one (1.4%) participant was a subspecialist in oculoplastic. Overall, 56.3% of the respondents were satisfied with teleophthalmology. Ophthalmologists who subspecialized in the retina demonstrated higher levels of satisfaction than other subspecialties. The most common challenge reported by ophthalmologists in the virtual consultation was the lack of adequate equipment to evaluate the patients (53.5%), followed by technical issues (43.7%) and the patients’ lack of experience in using virtual consultation services (38%). Overall satisfaction score was the highest among ophthalmologists who reported providing at least five video consultations before the survey. Conclusions The findings from our study suggest that the subspeciality of ophthalmologists and the number of video consultations conducted by ophthalmologists are important determinants in their level of satisfaction with teleophthalmology. The majority of the respondents were satisfied with the virtual clinic during the COVID-19 pandemic. The current pandemic could pave the way for the future use of telemedicine in ophthalmology if virtual eye examinations become standardized.

Retrospective analysis of telematic glaucoma clinic as a consequence of COVID-19 pandemic

“…In another study performed by Rhodes [14], 71% of patients agreed or were neutral to receiving telediagnosis and 74% of patients agreed or were neutral to receiving teleintervention. In a survey addressed to physicians by Adi M. Al Owaifeer et al [15], 56.3% of the respondents were satis ed with teleophthalmology, being the retina specialists who demonstrated higher levels of satisfaction than other subspecialties.…”

Teleophthalmology in Saudi Arabia

“…Many centers adopted the virtual clinic concept to triage the patients, directing the urgent cases to the available channels. [ 27 28 ] They utilized a real-time video call with the patients to conduct the clinical appointments. While this helped filter out patients who did not need to be present physically, the major challenge was the inability to do microscopic clinical examinations, the findings of which ophthalmologists usually depend on to make their clinical decisions.…”

“…conducted a study exploring physicians’ perceptions toward teleconsultation in a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. [ 27 ] They found that 56.3% were satisfied. The main reasons for dissatisfaction were the lack of adequate equipment to evaluate the patients (53.5%), followed by technical issues (43.7%) and patients’ lack of experience in using virtual consultation services (38%).…”

Glaucoma triage system: results of implementing a virtual clinic

“…To tackle system overload, various multidisciplinary collaborations and service delivery innovations have been tested, including telemedicine and virtual clinics, which allow rapid and reliable patient assessment [2] through the efficient usage of consultant time by assuring complementary exams are being performed on schedule, and by organizing their information in a user-friendly platform to ensure rapid decision-making in compliance with up-to-date guidelines. [3] In ophthalmology, many virtual clinics have been established worldwide [4][5][6][7][8][9] to deal with the heavy burden of patient referral and follow-up appointment overload, particularly in glaucoma and retina departments. Kotecha et al [8,10,11] described the development process of a virtual clinic for glaucoma patient follow-up at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, whereas Trikha et al [12] described using virtual clinics as a triage model for patient prioritization upon glaucoma referral.…”