Abstract
Purpose :
In 2019, a novel teleretinal imaging program was implemented at the Veteran Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System providing remote OCT evaluation with prompt retinal specialist evaluation. The purpose of this study was to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the tele-OCT screening program in its second year of implementation.
Methods :
Retrospective chart review study of patients evaluated by a retina specialist through asynchronous tele-OCT evaluation in 2019 and 2020. Electronic medical records were used to obtain patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics, tele-OCT consult results, and patient adherence to tele-OCT follow-up plans.
Results :
There were 108 tele-OCT consults in 2020 compared to 158 tele-OCT consults in 2019, a 32% decrease. There was no significant difference in overall patient adherence to follow-up between the two years. In 2020, patients who had diagnosed anxiety were less likely to be adherent compared to 2019 (37.5% v. 71.4%, p=0.023). In 2020, the retinal diagnosis was less likely to be changed after teleretinal consultation compared to 2019 (12.96% v. 29.1%, p<0.01).
Conclusions :
The decrease in tele-OCT use reflects the decrease in patients presenting to referring clinics that utilized the consult mechanism during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient anxiety should be considered when addressing compliance. The teleretinal program is providing an education benefit to referring providers.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.