Liu Helen, Ying Stephanie, Kamat Samir, Tukel Connor, Serle Janet, Fallar Robert, Tai Tak Yee Tania, Chadha Nisha
Department of Medical Education, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Department of Ophthalmology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Clin Ophthalmol. 2023 Aug 8;17:2251-2266. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S418502. eCollection 2023.
To explore and report on how glaucoma care was impacted by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic (COVID-19) in New York City (NYC) with a specific emphasis on the role of telemedicine.
This was a qualitative, cross-sectional study that engaged glaucoma clinicians in semi-structured interviews to elicit perspectives on telemedicine and patient care experiences during the pandemic. Interview responses were coded and analyzed thematically.
Twenty clinicians participated. Mean participant age was 48.8 ± 12.3 years, and the mean number of years in practice post-glaucoma fellowship was 17.5 ± 12.4 years. Four main themes pertinent to the role of telemedicine triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic were identified: (1) The Need to Ensure Patient and Staff Safety Drove Telemedicine Uptake; (2) Telemedicine Allowed Providers to Address Subjective Complaints; (3) Telemedicine was Discontinued Due To Concerns of Compromised Patient Safety and Measurement Inaccuracy; (4) Technological Advances are Needed for Continued Telemedicine Usage and Uptake in Glaucoma Care. The interviews suggested that telemedicine usage dropped markedly within just a few months during the pandemic, and for most physicians interviewed, telemedicine is no longer part of their clinical practice. Several clinicians reported optimism towards future implementation of telemedicine as the technology develops.
This study identified 4 themes outlining the uptake, application, discontinuation and overall perspectives on telemedicine by glaucoma clinicians. The role of telemedicine, as triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, may have lasting implications for patient safety, continuity of care, and glaucoma care delivery beyond this public health crisis.
探讨并报告纽约市（NYC）的青光眼护理如何受到严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）大流行（COVID-19）的影响，特别强调远程医疗的作用。
这是一项定性横断面研究，对青光眼临床医生进行半结构化访谈，以了解他们对大流行期间远程医疗和患者护理体验的看法。访谈回复进行编码并按主题分析。
20名临床医生参与。参与者的平均年龄为48.8±12.3岁，青光眼专科培训后的平均从业年限为17.5±12.4年。确定了与COVID-19大流行引发的远程医疗作用相关的四个主要主题：（1）确保患者和工作人员安全的需求推动了远程医疗的采用；（2）远程医疗使医疗服务提供者能够处理主观症状；（3）由于担心患者安全受损和测量不准确，远程医疗被停止；（4）青光眼护理中持续使用和采用远程医疗需要技术进步。访谈表明，在大流行期间的短短几个月内，远程医疗的使用显著下降，对于大多数接受访谈的医生来说，远程医疗已不再是他们临床实践的一部分。几位临床医生对随着技术发展未来实施远程医疗表示乐观。
本研究确定了4个主题，概述了青光眼临床医生对远程医疗的采用、应用、停用及总体看法。COVID-19大流行引发的远程医疗作用，可能对患者安全、护理连续性以及此次公共卫生危机之外的青光眼护理提供产生持久影响。
