The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tele-ophthalmology-Based Retinal Screening.
COVID-19
Healthcare organization
Retinal screening
Tele-ophthalmology
Journal
Ophthalmology and therapy
ISSN: 2193-8245
Titre abrégé: Ophthalmol Ther
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101634502
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
02 Aug 2024
02 Aug 2024
Historique:
received:
07
06
2024
accepted:
19
07
2024
medline:
2
8
2024
pubmed:
2
8
2024
entrez:
2
8
2024
Statut:
aheadofprint
Résumé
This study reports our experiences with systematic retinal screening in Denmark through optometrists with access to tele-ophthalmological services before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We evaluated an optometrist-based retinal screening system with a referral option for tele-ophthalmological service by a consultant ophthalmologist within the time period of August 1, 2018 to September 30, 2023. The optometrist collected patient history, refraction, best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, basic slit-lamp examination, 4-in-1 visual field report, and retinal imaging using color fundus 45° photography. Tele-ophthalmological services were provided by consultant ophthalmologists. Within pre-defined periods of pre-COVID-19, COVID-19, and post-COVID-19, we evaluated the rate of referrals to the tele-ophthalmological service, diagnoses made, and referrals to the public healthcare system. A total of 1,142,028 unique individuals, which corresponded to 19.1% of the entire population of Denmark, underwent screening by the optometrists; 50,612 (4.4%) of these individuals were referred to the tele-ophthalmological examination by consultant ophthalmologists. A referral for further ophthalmic examination, either at hospital or at an ophthalmic practice, was made for 10,300 individuals (20.4% of those referred for tele-ophthalmology, corresponding to 0.9% of the population screened). The referral rate from the screening to the tele-ophthalmological service increased from before COVID-19 (3.4%) to during COVID-19 (4.3%) and further after COVID-19 (6.4%). This increase coincided with an increasing prevalence of conditions seen in the tele-ophthalmological service. During a period of 5 years, 19.1% of the entire population of Denmark underwent retinal screening. This provided an adjunctive health service during a period of severe strain on the public healthcare system, while limiting the number of excessive referrals to the public healthcare system. Temporal trends illustrated an increased pattern of use of a large-scale tele-ophthalmological system.
Identifiants
pubmed: 39093386
doi: 10.1007/s40123-024-01008-8
pii: 10.1007/s40123-024-01008-8
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Informations de copyright
© 2024. The Author(s).
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