|Articles|May 27, 2015

Virtual glaucoma clinics: the future of patient management?

Virtual glaucoma clinics were create to allow for rapid and reliable patient assessment. Within these clinics, data is collected by nursing and non-medical staff and is then reviewed virtually by a senior ophthalmologist. However, despite it’s benefits to the healthcare system as a whole, it is vital to confirm that patients are satisfied with this aspect of service delivery and that patient education remains adequate.

Virtual glaucoma clinics were create to allow for rapid and reliable patient assessment. Within these clinics, data is collected by nursing and non-medical staff and is then reviewed virtually by a senior ophthalmologist. However, despite it’s benefits to the healthcare system as a whole, it is vital to confirm that patients are satisfied with this aspect of service delivery and that patient education remains adequate.

Assessing patient satisfaction

A recent study, published in Clinical Ophthalmology, compared patient treatment experience and understanding of glaucoma for the virtual clinic versus the standard clinic. The data collected included standardised history and slit lamp examination, intraocular pressure (IOP), optic disc imaging (Heidelberg Retina Tomograph [Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany], and/or Kowa Non-mydriatic 3D [Kowa Medical, Hamamatsu, Japan]) and Humphrey 24-2 visual fields (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany).

Further reading: Why the femto-cataract business model works

Non-medical staff clinical competencies for slit lamp eye examination, measurement of IOP, interpretation of visual fields, and clinical decision making is based on the same scheme of assessment as for medical ophthalmic trainees using the portfolio system of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists.

In September 2013, all 135 patients reviewed via the virtual clinic from April to August 2013 were sent general and patient satisfaction questionnaires (modified ‘QUality Of care Through the patient’s Eyes’ QUOTE questionnaire, Nijkamp et al) via post. For the control group 100 patients attending standard glaucoma clinics in October 2013 were handed questionnaires at their scheduled clinic appointment.

Data were obtained for demographics, understanding of glaucoma, the patient’s own condition and its management, together with their experience satisfaction (modified QUOTE questionnaire), and quality of information received. Patient responses were analysed in conjunction with clinical record data.

Internal server error