Tele-ophthalmology for diabetic retinopathy in Canada—meeting the needs of a growing epidemic

Kanjee, Raageen; Dookeran, Ravi I.

doi:10.1016/j.jcjo.2016.04.004

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 5 publications

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“… 15 Current applications of tele-ophthalmology includes diabetic retinopathy, AMD, and retinopathy of prematurity screening with recent expansions to choroidal and iris nevi monitoring and idiopathic intracranial hypertension detection. 16–23 An economic analysis showed that tele-ophthalmology screening could save up to $48 per patient. 24 Despite these benefits, a survey of 58 ophthalmologists and ophthalmology trainees found that 71% did not use telemedicine and 59% had low confidence in using remote screening for making clinical decisions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urgent Virtual Eye Assessments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ma¹,

Issa²,

Varma³

et al. 2022

OPTH

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Purpose We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a virtual eye assessment triage system implemented in response to COVID-19. Patients and Methods We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study using a consecutive sample of all virtual assessments conducted from March 24 to June 7, 2020 at a single ophthalmology center in Toronto, ON, Canada. Visual acuity and smartphone photographs were uploaded to an electronic assessment website. All patients were virtually triaged to an email or phone consult. Patient outcomes and satisfaction were assessed with a quality assurance survey. Primary outcome measures were the incidence of unplanned additional in-person visits and changes in treatment. Results We performed 1535 virtual assessments. Of the triage pathways, 15% received an email consult only and 85% received a phone consult. Subsequently, 15% required an in-person assessment, 3% were referred elsewhere, and 0.1% were sent to the emergency. Presentations were most commonly cornea (52%) and retina (25%). They were non-urgent in 68% of cases and no pharmacologic treatment was required for 49%. Of 397 patients that responded out of 653 patients surveyed, 4% had an unplanned additional visit to the emergency, after which two patients underwent urgent retinal surgery and one patient underwent urgent glaucoma surgery. Two patients (0.5%) had a minor change in treatment. Conclusion As routine regular in-person visits were not possible during the COVID-19 lockdown, virtual eye assessments provided an opportunity to triage patients. Virtual assessments have the potential to reduce in-person visits, but caution must be exercised to not miss vision-threatening conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Urgent Virtual Eye Assessments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Ma¹,

Issa²,

Varma³

et al. 2022

OPTH

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Scaling Up Teleophthalmology for Diabetic Eye Screening: Opportunities for Widespread Implementation in the USA

2019

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Impact of mobile health in diabetic retinopathy awareness and eye care behavior among Indigenous women

Umaefulam

Premkumar

2020

mHealth

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Background: Diabetes is increasingly widespread among Indigenous people, and diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a diabetes eye complication and a common cause of vision loss among adults in Canada. Indigenous women have a high risk of diabetes which increases their risk for DR. This study explored utilizing mobile health (mHealth) via text messages to provide DR awareness and improve diabetic-eye care behavior. This study identified the changes in DR awareness and eye care behavior due to a mHealth education intervention among Indigenous women with or at risk of diabetes.Methods: A pre-post study which adopted an embedded concurrent mixed methods approach guided by self-determination theory and the medicine wheel. Study participants were First Nations and Métis women living with or at risk of diabetes in Saskatoon, Canada. Data was collected via sharing circles and a DR knowledge, attitude, and practice survey. Pre-intervention participants' baseline information on DR knowledge and behavior were obtained from participants. After that, participants received daily text messages on diabetes-eye related information for 12 weeks. Post-intervention, the impact of the mHealth intervention on DR awareness and eye care behavior was assessed.Results: Following the intervention, the DR knowledge, attitude, and practice scores significantly improved. Individuals living with diabetes had increased DR attitude and practice post-scores compared to those at risk of diabetes. Older women had a lower pre-post change in practice scores compared to younger women. The mHealth intervention provided a holistic approach to support diabetes-eye care and empowered the study participants to eat healthily, take medication as prescribed, and have regular medical and eye check-ups. Conclusions:The mHealth education intervention increased DR awareness and fostered a change in diabetes-eye care behavior. Health information via text messaging can motivate, provide support, and empower individuals as well as prevent and manage chronic conditions and reduce the risk of complications.

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Tele-ophthalmology for diabetic retinopathy in Canada—meeting the needs of a growing epidemic

Cited by 5 publications

References 5 publications

Urgent Virtual Eye Assessments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Urgent Virtual Eye Assessments During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Scaling Up Teleophthalmology for Diabetic Eye Screening: Opportunities for Widespread Implementation in the USA

Impact of mobile health in diabetic retinopathy awareness and eye care behavior among Indigenous women

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