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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Ophthalmol.
Sec. New Technologies in Ophthalmology
Volume 4 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fopht.2024.1511378

Tele-ophthalmology as an Effective Triaging Tool for Acute Ophthalmic Concerns

Provisionally accepted
Natalie A. Townsend Natalie A. Townsend 1*Shalini Shah Shalini Shah 2Joshua Reyes Joshua Reyes 1*Alison Bozung Alison Bozung 1*Giselle Ricur Giselle Ricur 1*Rami Jean Aboumourad Rami Jean Aboumourad 1
  • 1 Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Health System, Miami, Florida, United States
  • 2 University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The purpose of this study is to determine baseline demographics and utilization trend of an ondemand, synchronous tele-ophthalmology triage program in evaluating acute ophthalmic concerns during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.Setting: Single-center retrospective chart review of telemedicine visits conducted by ophthalmologists and optometrists from University of Miami's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.Patient population: 6227 patients comprised 7138 telehealth encounters. All patient encounters were included in the retrospective review without exclusions and only the primary diagnoses were categorized from October 1, 2020 to April 30, 2023.Descriptive statistics of the telemedicine model, utilization trends, baseline patient demographics, and primary diagnoses were performed for all virtual eye care encounters during the study period.Results: Utilization of the synchronous telemedicine platform increased during the study period. The median age of patients was 51 (IQR, 36-65) years. Patients predominantly self-identified as female (63.27%), White (72.7%), and non-Hispanic/Latino (48.2%). General external adnexa (44.1%), conjunctival disorders (15.5%) and ocular surface symptoms (15.4%), made up 75.0% of the visits during the study period. Furthermore, 63.4% of patients were new to Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, 67.1% had never engaged in telemedicine, and 96.5% of encounters were successfully completed through video conferencing.Discussion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was significant utilization of an on-demand synchronous ocular telemedicine program to address acute concerns. This retrospective chart review demonstrates the utility of telemedicine as an important and effective tool to triage and provide care during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.

    Keywords: telehealth, Telemedicine, Tele-ophthalmology, Ophthalmology, Optometry

    Received: 14 Oct 2024; Accepted: 16 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Townsend, Shah, Reyes, Bozung, Ricur and Aboumourad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Natalie A. Townsend, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Health System, Miami, 33136, Florida, United States
    Joshua Reyes, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Health System, Miami, 33136, Florida, United States
    Alison Bozung, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Health System, Miami, 33136, Florida, United States
    Giselle Ricur, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Health System, Miami, 33136, Florida, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.