Analyzing the demographics of patients with uveitis in an indigent, urban population.

PURPOSE: To study the types of uveitis examined in a hospital serving indigent populations in need of low-cost care. METHODS: A retrospective chart review examined the electronic medical records of all patients with uveitis-related at Drexel Eye Physicians. Data collected included demographics, anatomic location of the uveitis, systemic disease associations, treatment modalities and insurance. Statistical analysis was performed using χ² or Fischer exact tests. RESULTS: 270 patients (366 eyes) were included for analysis, 67% of patients identified as African American. Most eyes (95.3%, N = 349) were treated with topical corticosteroid drops, and only 6 (1.6%) received an intravitreal implant. Immunosuppressive medications were started in 24 patients (8.9%). Nearly 80% depended to some extent on Medicare or Medicaid Assistance for treatment coverage. There was no association between insurance type and use of biologics or difluprednate. CONCLUSION: We found no association between insurance type and the prescription of medications for uveitis that should be used at home. There was a minimal number of patients prescribed medications for implantation in the office. The adherence of use of medications at home should be investigated.

Using the Electronic Medical Record to Increase Laboratory Test Monitoring in Ocular Inflammation Patients: A Quality Improvement Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Treatment of chronic, noninfectious ocular inflammation includes corticosteroids, disease-modifying antirheumatic medications, and biologics. To mitigate adverse effects associated with the use of these medications, routine laboratory test monitoring is recommended throughout treatment. We evaluated the effectiveness of an alert added to the electronic medical record (EMR) to aid in laboratory test monitoring for patients prescribed these high-risk medications. METHODS: A prospective, interventional study assessed the effect of the alert within the EMR on laboratory test ordering at the Division of Ocular Immunology at the Wilmer Eye Institute. The primary outcome measure was the change in number of ordered laboratory tests at 3, 6, and 12 months after the alert activation compared with pre-intervention levels and overall through the study period. The laboratory tests that were monitored included complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanning, fasting lipid panel, and interferon gamma release assays. RESULTS: The laboratory test orders for 153 patients on high risk medications were analyzed. Only the frequency of ordering the DXA and interferon gamma release assays increased significantly, compared with baseline, throughout the study. Conversely, there was a significant decrease in the frequency of ordering of fasting lipid profiles and hemoglobin A 1c at each time point and for complete blood count and comprehensive metabolic panel at the 6-month time point. CONCLUSION: An EMR alert results in increased laboratory test ordering initially for tests drawn on a yearly basis, but the effect on more frequently ordered tests wanes with time if the alert can be silenced by the provider. Nonetheless, it provides a novel mechanism to increase laboratory ordering in patients on high-risk medications that can be adapted for use in other EMR software. Future studies are needed to assess whether physician laboratory test ordering behavior is altered throughout the study period with the use of a non-silencable alert.

Attitudes toward parental leave and breastfeeding during ophthalmology residency.

INTRODUCTION: As mandated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), residency programs are required to have parental leave policies. A lack of standardized requirements leads to a lack of uniformity among programs. We discuss resident and program director attitudes toward parental leave and examine the range of policies on parental leave and breastfeeding within ophthalmology residency programs. METHODS: Two electronic surveys assessing perceptions toward parental leave during residency and breastfeeding on return to clinical duties were created individually for completion by ophthalmology residents or residency program directors, respectively, with responses collected over 4 weeks. RESULTS: Of residents who took parental leave, 23 (87%) denied taking time off without pay. The most commonly reported effects on training by residents were missed surgical training and impact on research. Nearly 60% of residents (N = 26) reported receiving negative feedback or actions prior to or after the leave. The majority of residents felt program directors and coresidents were supportive (53.8%, 48.1%, respectively), but parental leave negatively affected their coresidents (46.2%). Twenty-five program directors reported that there are written parental leave policies in place at their institution. Sex disparities were noted, with program directors reporting more negative impacts on surgical training in female residents (p = 0.035). There was no statistically significant difference between program director attitudes on clinical training, well-being, or burnout by resident sex. All program directors were supportive of breastfeeding; half reported an institutional breastfeeding policy. CONCLUSION: A national discussion on standardizing parental leave and breastfeeding policies over all ophthalmology residency programs is warranted.

Thrombocytopenia and clear corneal incision cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To investigate complications and outcomes of clear corneal incision cataract surgery in patients with thrombocytopenia. SETTING: 1 veterans hospital and 2 academic medical centers. DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective chart review. METHODS: All eyes of thrombocytopenic patients that underwent clear corneal incision cataract surgery with a platelet count of 100 × 103/µL or less measured within 30 days prior to surgery were included. Subject demographics, intraoperative complications, use of pupillary expansion devices, use of local anesthetic injections, and change in corrected distance visual acuity were recorded. RESULTS: 3 sites recorded 40 113 clear corneal incision cataract surgeries, of which 196 eyes (0.49%) of 150 thrombocytopenic patients were recorded. The mean platelet count in the study subjects was 73.0 ± 20.5 × 103/µL. Two cases of intraoperative iris hemorrhage that were readily and controlled occurred in conjunction with pupillary expansion. There were no bleeding complications associated with retrobulbar, peribulbar, or sub-Tenon anesthetic injections. There was a statistically significant improvement (P < .0001) in visual acuity post-operatively. CONCLUSIONS: Clear corneal incision cataract surgery with pupillary expansion devices and local anesthetic injections can be safely performed in patients with thrombocytopenia.