Abstract
Purpose :
Recent advances in technology have allowed remote diagnosis and consultation by medical professionals. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has accelerated this process into widespread adoption. In Ophthalmology, Teleconsultation allows communication between ophthalmic professionals and patients remotely, theoretically increasing efficiency, accessibility and safety of consultations. It is unclear what groups of patients are unable to access this mode of healthcare delivery, putting them at risk of worse outcomes both presently and in the future. Through creation of patient digital profiles, barriers to teleconsultations can be understood, allowing development of tailored interventions at a regional and national level.
Methods :
A 28 item survey was administered to patients attending the Macula clinic in NWL involving demographics, current technological access and views towards teleophthalmology.
Results :
106 patients were included (mean age:75.2+/-13.3). The most common device owned was a smartphone (66%), with the most common operating system being Android (55% of smartphone owners). Twenty-one percent of patients did not have access to a suitable device and 25% of patients did not have access to the internet. Those without access to any device were older (82.1vs73.5; P=0.007) and those without access to the internet were older (80.8 vs 73.3;p=0.01) and less educated (p=0.04[PB1] ). Patients without access to help at home had lower confidence (4.1 vs 2.0; p<0.001) and perceived usefulness (3.8 vs 2.2;p<0.001) of teleconsultations. Number of devices owned correlated with confidence (r=0.46; p<0.001) and perceived usefulness (r=0.20; p= 0.043).
Conclusions :
A significant proportion of ophthalmic patients in NWL are unable to access healthcare via video teleconsultations. These may be older and/or more isolated patients which will require targeted interventions. Digital profiling should be considered to maximise inclusivity of digital health interventions.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.