Evaluation of patient satisfaction with an ophthalmology video consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic
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R. Gerbutavicius1 · U. Brandlhuber1 · S. Glück1 · G. F. Kortüm1 · I. Kortüm1 · R. Navarrete Orozco1 · M. Rakitin1 · M. Strodtbeck1 · A. Wolf2 · K. U. Kortüm1 1
© Springer Medizin Verlag GmbH, ein Teil von Springer Nature 2020
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Augenarztpraxis Dres. Kortüm, Ludwigsburg, Germany Universitätsaugenklinik Ulm, Ulm, Germany
Evaluation of patient satisfaction with an ophthalmology video consultation during the COVID19 pandemic Background and objective Teleophthalmology is a branch of telemedicine specialized in ophthalmological care using remote digital technologies. Since its first description in the specialist literature in 1975, teleophthalmology has gained enormously in importance in the intervening decades due to rapid digitalization [8]. As a practical and generally accessible approach to patient care, teleophthalmology has been successfully used in the treatment of a growing number of ophthalmological disorders. A distinction is made between asynchronous (store-and-forward) and synchronous (live video consultation) methods of telemedicine. Another method is a hybrid consultation, which combines previous device-based investigations with the subsequent live video consultation. In most countries, teleophthalmological care is based on the asynchronous model, whereby the screening and monitoring of a variety of eye disorders is carried out using diagnostic equipment at an optometrist, who then forwards the findings to the ophthalmologist. Numerous international studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of telemedicine in the screening for and monitoring of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in primary care centers [1, 12]. Modjtahedi et al. concluded that telemedicine is a highly promising The German version of this article can be found under https://doi.org/10.1007/s00347020-01143-0.
method for monitoring patients with suspected glaucoma [15]. The study by De Bats et al. evidenced the successful use of nonmydriatic fundus photography and telemedicine in screening for agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) [5]. Ting et al. presented in their study an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted telemedicine platform for cataract screening and management [20]. Results published by Kern et al. showed that teleophthalmology effectively reduces the number of unnecessary referrals to eye care centers [10]. In addition, improved accessibility to eye care and the promotion of DR screening in rural areas by means of teleophthalmology resulted in high satisfaction among patients as well as medical personnel [22]. The synchronous method of teleophthalmology comprises a live video consultation, during which the patient history is taken and an examination is performed online via video link without a prior examination. The results show that this method of consultation can be reliably used to diagnose and monitor pediatric eye disorders, and that through collaboration between opticians and ophthalmologists using video conferencing technology, it is able to ensure care for under-served groups of the population [16]. In addition, telemedicine can su
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