Analysis of patient referrals from primary care to ophthalmology. The role of the optometrist

Mastropasqua L., D’Aloisio R., Mastrocola A., Perna F., Cerino L., Cerbara L., Cruciani F., Toto L.

Background and Objectives: Vision impairments and related blindness are major public health problems. The prevalence of eye disease and barriers to optimal care markedly vary among different geographic areas. In the Abruzzo region (central Italy), an epidemiological surveillance on the state of ocular health in the population aged over 50 years was performed in 2019. Materials and Methods: Participants were sampled to be representative of the region’s inhabitants. Data were collected through a telephone interview and an eye examination. Prevalence of cataract, glaucoma, retinopathy, and maculopathy was assessed. The Cohen’s kappa (k) was used to measure the agreement between the presence of eye disease and awareness of the disease by the participants. Results: Overall, 983 people with a mean age of 66.0 ± 9.5 years were included in the study. The prevalence of cataracts, glaucoma, maculopathy, and retinopathy was 52.6%, 5.3%, 5.6%, and 29.1%, respectively. Among the total of the affected people, those aware of their condition were 21.8% (k = 0.12, slight agreement) for cataract, 65.4% (k = 0.78, substantial agreement) for glaucoma, 7.1% (k = 0.10, slight agreement) for maculopathy, and 0% for retinopathy (k = −0.004, agreement lower than that expected by chance). Refractive defects were corrected in the vast majority of participants. Conclusion: In the Abruzzo region, about two thirds of citizens aged 50 years or over suffer from cataract, glaucoma, retinopathy, or maculopathy, which are recognized as leading causes of blindness. Many people with eye disease do not know they have it. These data can be used by clinicians and policymakers to undertake clinical, political, and social actions.

Shah R., Edgar D.F., Khatoon A., Hobby A., Jessa Z., Yammouni R., Campbell P., Soteri K., Beg A., Harsum S., Aggarwal R., Evans B.J.

This audit assesses communication between community optometrists (COs) and hospital eye service (HES) in Scotland and England. Optometric referrals and replies were extracted from six practices in Scotland and England. If no reply was found, replies/records were copied from HES records. De-identified referrals, replies and records were audited against established standards, evaluating whether referrals were necessary, accurate and directed to the appropriate professional. The referral rate (RR) and referral reply rate (RRR) were calculated. From 905 de-identified referrals, RR ranged from 2.6 to 8.7%. From COs’ perspective, the proportion of referrals for which they received replies ranged from 37 to 84% (Scotland) and 26 to 49% (England). A total of 88–96% of referrals (Scotland) and 63–76% (England) were seen in the HES. Adjusting for cases when it is reasonable to expect replies, RRR becomes 45–92% (Scotland) and 38–62% (England) with RRR significantly greater in Scotland (P = 0.015). Replies were copied to patients in 0–21% of cases. Referrals were to the appropriate service and judged necessary in ≥90% of cases in both jurisdictions. Accuracy of referral ranged from 89 to 97% (Scotland) and 81 to 98% (England). The reply addressed the reason for referral in 94–100% of cases (Scotland) and 93–97% (England) and was meaningful in 95–100% (Scotland) and 94–99% (England). Despite the interdisciplinary joint statement on sharing patient information, this audit highlights variable standard of referrals and deficits in replies to the referring COs, with one exception in Scotland. Replies from HES to COs are important for patient care, benefitting patients and clinicians and minimising unnecessary HES appointments.

Schlenker A., Tadrous C., Ching G., Iovieno A., Nathoo N., Liu T., Yeung S.N.

AbstractObjective This study was conducted to analyse emergency ophthalmology referrals to a Canadian tertiary academic centre during the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in comparison to prepandemic referrals. Design This was a retrospective chart review looking at emergency referrals seen by the ophthalmology service between March 18 to April 17, 2020 (representing the COVID-19 period), and March 18 to April 17, 2019 (representing the pre-COVID-19 period). Methods Data gathered from referral records included patient demographics, timing and site of referral, and ophthalmic diagnosis. Referrals were categorized as urgent or nonurgent, with urgent indicating the need for ophthalmic assessment within 24 hours. Results The total number of referrals decreased by 54.2% in the COVID-19 period versus the pre-COVID-19 period. There was a similar bimodal age distribution in both periods, with fewer patients over 65 years of age presenting during the pandemic. Tertiary hospital referrals decreased by 62% in the pandemic period, while nontertiary emergency department referral trends varied and outpatient clinic referrals increased by 16%. Overall, there was a significant shift in the distribution of referral sites (p = 0.04). The proportion of urgent referrals increased by 14% during the pandemic; this was not statistically significant. There was no significant change in the timing of referrals or in the distribution of diagnostic segments. Conclusions This study offers insight into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ophthalmology referral patterns in a Canadian context. Moving forward, it helps to guide resource allocation and public education on the importance of seeking necessary eye care.

Muttuvelu D.V., Buchholt H., Nygaard M., Rasmussen M.L., Sim D.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the stratification of follow-up and referral pathways after implementation of a systematic cloud-based electronic-referral teleophthalmological service for optometry-initiated ocular posterior segment disease referrals to the Danish national eye care system.Methods and AnalysisA retrospective cohort study was conducted in the period from 1 August 2018 to 31 July 2019. Patients with suspected ocular posterior segment disease reviewed by the telemedical ophthalmology service were included. The service stratified patients into the categories: no need for follow-up, follow-up by optometrist, follow-up by the telemedical service and referral to the national Danish eye care service.ResultsFrom a pool of 386 361 customers, 9938 patients were enrolled into this study. 19.5% of all patients were referred to the Danish national eye care system, while 80.5% of the patients in the telemedical service were not, in the period from 1 August 2018 to 31 July 2019. 14.4% of the optometrist referrals did not need any follow-up, while a majority of 66.1% needed some follow-up either by the optometrist themselves or within the telemedical service.ConclusionOptometrist posterior segment disease referrals can be considerably reduced with a risk stratified approach and optimal use of technology. New models can improve and streamline the healthcare system.

Hugosson M., Ekström C.

Schuster A.K., Erb C., Hoffmann E.M., Dietlein T., Pfeiffer N.

Kern C., Fu D.J., Kortuem K., Huemer J., Barker D., Davis A., Balaskas K., Keane P.A., McKinnon T., Sim D.A.

BackgroundHospital Eye Services (HES) in the UK face an increasing number of optometric referrals driven by progress in retinal imaging. The National Health Service (NHS) published a 10-year strategy (NHS Long-Term Plan) to transform services to meet this challenge. In this study, we implemented a cloud-based referral platform to improve communication between optometrists and ophthalmologists.MethodsRetrospective cohort study conducted at Moorfields Eye Hospital, Croydon (NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK). Patients classified into the HES referral pathway by contributing optometrists have been included into this study. Main outcome measures was the reduction of unnecessary referrals.ResultsAfter reviewing the patient’s data in a web-based interface 54 (52%) out of 103 attending patients initially classified into the referral pathway did not need a specialist referral. Fourteen (14%) patients needing urgent treatment were identified. Usability was measured in duration for data input and reviewing which was an average of 9.2 min (median: 5.4; IQR: 3.4–8.7) for optometrists and 3.0 min (median: 3.0; IQR: 1.7–3.9) min for ophthalmologists. A variety of diagnosis was covered by this tool with dry age-related macular degeneration (n=34) being most common.ConclusionAfter implementation more than half of the HES referrals have been avoided. This platform offers a digital-first solution that enables rapid-access eye care for patients in community optometrists, facilitates communication between healthcare providers and may serve as a foundation for implementation of artificial intelligence.

Domínguez-Serrano F.B., Molina-Solana P., Infante-Cossío M., Sala-Turrens J., Seva-Silva N., Rodríguez-de-la-Rúa-Franch E.

Resumen Objetivo Determinar la epidemiologia de todas las visitas a urgencias oftalmologicas incluyendo todos los grupos de edad durante los anos 2014 y 2015 en dos hospitales de tercer nivel. Metodos Fueron incluidos todos los pacientes que acudieron a urgencias oftalmologicas desde el 1 de enero de 2014 al 31 de diciembre de 2015. Las variables estudiadas fueron el sexo, la edad, el lugar de procedencia, la hora de llegada, el dia de la semana, el mes y el ano de la visita, el diagnostico, el lugar de derivacion al alta, el nivel de prioridad y el tiempo total de asistencia. Las patologias fueron clasificadas segun los codigos CIE-9, MC. Resultados Se produjeron un total de 39.869 visitas a urgencias entre los anos 2014 y 2015. Estas fueron mas frecuentes en el sexo femenino, los lunes y en los meses de abril, mayo y junio. La edad media fue de 46,24 anos. El 73,42% de las visitas se clasificaron como no urgentes. La patologia mas frecuente atendida fue la conjuntivitis (17,28%), seguida de queratitis (15,31%) y desprendimiento de vitreo posterior (5,37%). La celulitis orbitaria fue la patologia que curso con un mayor porcentaje de ingresos (23%). La mayoria de los pacientes fueron derivados al alta a su domicilio (94,85%). Conclusiones Dado que la gran mayoria de patologias atendidas en urgencias son no urgentes, es conveniente el establecimiento de medidas para conseguir una asistencia mas eficiente, orientada a la patologia urgente y que no consuma recursos innecesarios.

Annoh R., Patel S., Beck D., Ellis H., Dhillon B., Sanders R.

Tackling visual impairment remains an important public health issue. Due to limited resources and the increasing demand on hospital eye services (HES), delivery of quality eye care within the community is essential. Training of clinical ophthalmic specialists and allied health-care professionals in the detection and management of common eye conditions can thus help to reduce the burden of eye disease and improve prognostic outcomes. Digital imaging has become a useful tool in facilitating eye-care delivery in both the community and hospital setting. In the last decade, the advent of electronic image exchange via a centralized referral unit in Scotland has revolutionized screening for ophthalmic disease, referrals, and shared care between community and HES clinicians. A government-led initiative known as the Scottish Eyecare Integration Project introduced electronic transfer of digital images within referrals from community optometrists to HES, which greatly reduced outpatient waiting times and improved patient satisfaction. The catalogue of live clinical information and digital images that resulted from the project led to the creation of a virtual learning platform through the University of Edinburgh. Participating professionals involved in eye care have interactive discussions about common eye conditions by sharing digital images of cases and investigations on a global online platform. This has received worldwide attention and inspired the creation of other university courses, e-learning platforms in eye-health education, and shared-care schemes in the screening of eye disease. We show that digital ophthalmology plays a vital role in the integration of community and HES partnership in delivery of patient care and in facilitating eye-health education to a global audience.

Docherty G., Hwang J., Yang M., Eadie B., Clapson K., Siever J., Warner S.J.

This study was conducted to analyze data from emergency ophthalmology referrals after hours from different hospitals to identify the most common pathologies and compare accuracy of diagnoses. Additionally, examination findings, including visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and pupils from referring service and ophthalmic examination, were compared to assess agreement.This was a prospective study that reviewed information collected from referring services to the emergency on-call ophthalmology service and compared it with ophthalmic examination between February 2017 and July 2017.The number of referrals from each hospital was reviewed. Referring physician provisional diagnosis, VA, IOP, and pupil assessment were collected to analyze the agreement between ophthalmic examination and diagnosis.The observed agreement rate was 67.0% between referring source and ophthalmic diagnosis. Posterior vitreous detachment (12.2%) was the most common diagnosis, followed by corneal abrasion (7.4%) and retinal detachment (5.3%). Referring services measured VA to be worse than on-call ophthalmology service (right eye Z = -5.47, p < 0.001; left eye Z = -5.44, p < 0.001), and IOP measurement by referring services was significantly higher (p < 0.05). The observed agreement rate of pupillary assessment was 91% between referring services and ophthalmology services.Data suggest that there is moderate agreement for diagnostic category between referring service and ophthalmology examination in regard to provisional diagnosis and pupillary assessment. Both VA and IOP were measured to be higher by referring services. This study highlights common emergency ophthalmic referrals and suggests potential areas for teaching initiatives for primary care physicians assessing ophthalmic emergency patients.

Bartnik S.E., Copeland S.P., Aicken A.J., Turner A.W.

Olthof M., Groenhof F., Berger M.Y.

Continuity of care could reduce health care consumption by patients and reduce the number of referrals to specialist care, but it is unknown if there is a difference in referral rates to specific medical specialties.We aimed to determine the relationship between continuity of care and both the referral rate (referrals per patient per year) and the medical specialties for which this relationship was strongest.A retrospective cohort study of 19333 patients in primary care in the north of the Netherlands.Patients with at least two contacts with a general practitioner (GP) over a 2-year period (2013-2014) were included. The number of contacts with their own or other GPs were calculated, and referral rates were determined. Continuity of care was included as a dichotomous variable (absent or present).The odds of being referred were higher for older patients, females and patients with more practitioner contacts. However, the presence of continuity of care was associated with the highest odds of referral. The referral rate was significantly highest for patients with continuity of care when referred to paediatrics, as well as for patients without continuity of care who were referred to gastroenterology, ophthalmology and psychiatry.Increased continuity of care decreases referral to specialist care, most notably for referrals to paediatrics. Despite continued pressures on continuity of care, policy makers should invest in this cornerstone of primary care to temper health care expenditures.

Jonas J.B., Aung T., Bourne R.R., Bron A.M., Ritch R., Panda-Jonas S.

Glaucoma is a heterogeneous group of diseases characterised by cupping of the optic nerve head and visual-field damage. It is the most frequent cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Progression usually stops if the intraocular pressure is lowered by 30-50% from baseline. Its worldwide age-standardised prevalence in the population aged 40 years or older is about 3·5%. Chronic forms of glaucoma are painless and symptomatic visual-field defects occur late. Early detection by ophthalmological examination is mandatory. Risk factors for primary open-angle glaucoma-the most common form of glaucoma-include older age, elevated intraocular pressure, sub-Saharan African ethnic origin, positive family history, and high myopia. Older age, hyperopia, and east Asian ethnic origin are the main risk factors for primary angle-closure glaucoma. Glaucoma is diagnosed using ophthalmoscopy, tonometry, and perimetry. Treatment to lower intraocular pressure is based on topical drugs, laser therapy, and surgical intervention if other therapeutic modalities fail to prevent progression.

Alabbasi O.M., Al-Barry M., Albasri R.F., Khashim H.F., Aloufi M.M., Abdulaal M.F., Alsaidalany D.W., Alahmadi A.S., Habeeb H., Aalam W.A.

Lee C.M., Afshari N.A.

Cataracts are a significant cause of blindness and visual impairment worldwide. The present article reviews the literature and describes the current extent of cataracts globally, barriers to treatment, and recommendations for improving the treatment of cataracts.Prevalence and absolute number of blind because of cataracts remain high, although rates are declining in many areas globally. The age-standardized prevalence of blindness in adults older than 50 remains highest in western sub-Saharan Africa, with a rate of 6.0%. The greatest declines in age-standardized blindness because of cataracts in adults older than 50 between 1990 and 2010 were in East Asia, tropical Latin America, and western Europe. Recent studies have largely found higher rates of cataracts in women than in men. A new simulator for training ophthalmologists in manual small-incision cataract surgery holds promise for the future.The rates of cataract surgery are increasing and postoperative outcomes are improving worldwide, yet challenges to reducing the cataract burden further remain. Cost, an insufficient number of ophthalmologists, and low government funding remain significant barriers but investment in further eye care infrastructure and training of additional ophthalmologists would improve the current situation.