Ensuring high-quality telemedicine consultations in community eye care

ABSTRACT

Telemedicine has been a growing feature in ophthalmology in the UK, particularly since the inception of the Diabetic Retinal Screening Service (DRSS). The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this trend more than anyone would have envisaged and it is likely to remain a key part of care of patients with ophthalmic pathology. It is vital that however many consultations are undertaken, these meet the high-quality standards that patients and regulators expect. For a range of both common and emergency eye conditions that are frequently managed in the community, we explore the examinations and investigations required to provide a comprehensive assessment and accurate diagnosis in the community eye care setting. We also propose parameters and quality standards for each investigation to ensure that the clinician interpreting these has the required information to make an appropriate diagnosis. We suggest that providers of teleophthalmology consultations use these quality standards to minimise their risk of inappropriate diagnosis and treatment based on insufficient or inaccurate information and so to mitigate against the potential legal implications that can result from suboptimal clinical decisions. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Optometry in Practice is the property of College of Optometrists and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)