A virtual-clinic pathway for patients referred from a national diabetes eye screening programme reduces service demands whilst maintaining quality of care.

ABSTRACT:

Aim

To evaluate the potential of an integrated virtual medical retina clinic in secondary care for diabetic patients screened and referred by the UK National Diabetic Eye Screening Program (DESP).

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included diabetic patients referred by the DESP to either a virtual or a traditional doctor's appointment (face-to-face, F2F) at the Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (London, UK) between January 2015 and December 2018. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients that qualified for a virtual-clinic appointment according to hospital guidance. Secondary outcomes included the rate of attendance, mean time from DESP referral to initial hospital appointment, mean time-to-discharge and -to-treatment of either panretinal photocoagu

SUBMITTER: Faes L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7596837 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature