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A Systematic Review of Current Teleophthalmology Services in New Zealand Compared to the Four Comparable Countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America (USA) and Canada
BACKGROUND: Over 700,000 New Zealanders (NZ), particularly elderly and Māori, live without timely access to specialist ophthalmology services. Teleophthalmology is a widely recognised tool that can assist in overcoming resource and distance barriers. Teleophthalmology gained unprecedented traction i...
Autores principales: | , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
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Dove
2021
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Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8500493/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34675470 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S294428 |
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author | Walsh, Liam Hong, Sheng Chiong Chalakkal, Renoh Johnson Ogbuehi, Kelechi C |
author_facet | Walsh, Liam Hong, Sheng Chiong Chalakkal, Renoh Johnson Ogbuehi, Kelechi C |
author_sort | Walsh, Liam |
collection | PubMed |
description | BACKGROUND: Over 700,000 New Zealanders (NZ), particularly elderly and Māori, live without timely access to specialist ophthalmology services. Teleophthalmology is a widely recognised tool that can assist in overcoming resource and distance barriers. Teleophthalmology gained unprecedented traction in NZ during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. However, its provision is still limited and there are equity issues. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review identifying, describing and contrasting teleophthalmology services in NZ with the comparable countries of Australia, USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. METHODS: The electronic databases Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Google were systemically searched using the keywords: telemedicine, ophthalmology, tele-ophthalmology/teleophthalmology. The searches were filtered to the countries above, with no time constraints. An integrative approach was used to synthesise findings. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-two studies were identified describing 90 discrete teleophthalmology services. Articles spanned from 1997 to 2020. Models were categorised into general eye care (n=21; 16%); emergency/trauma (n=6; 4.5%); school screening (n=25; 19%); artificial intelligence (AI) (n=23; 18%); and disease-specific models of care (MOC) (n=57; 43%). The most common diseases addressed were diabetic retinopathy (n=23; 17%); retinopathy of prematurity (n=9; 7%); and glaucoma (n=8; 6%). Programs were mainly centred in the US (n=72; 54.5%), followed by the UK (n=29; 22%), then Canada (n=16; 12%), Australia (n=13; 10%), with the fewest identified in NZ (n=3; 2%). Models generally involved an ophthalmologist consultative service, remote supervision and triaging. Most models involved local clinicians transmitting fed-forward or live images. CONCLUSION: Teleophthalmology will likely play a crucial role in the future of eye care. COVID-19 has offered a unique opportunity to observe the use of teleophthalmology services globally. Feed-forward and, increasingly, live-based teleophthalmology services have demonstrated feasibility and cost-effectiveness in similar countries internationally. New Zealand’s teleophthalmology services, however, are currently limited. Investing in strategic partnerships and technology at a national level can advance health equities in ophthalmic care. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-8500493 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2021 |
publisher | Dove |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-85004932021-10-20 A Systematic Review of Current Teleophthalmology Services in New Zealand Compared to the Four Comparable Countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America (USA) and Canada Walsh, Liam Hong, Sheng Chiong Chalakkal, Renoh Johnson Ogbuehi, Kelechi C Clin Ophthalmol Review BACKGROUND: Over 700,000 New Zealanders (NZ), particularly elderly and Māori, live without timely access to specialist ophthalmology services. Teleophthalmology is a widely recognised tool that can assist in overcoming resource and distance barriers. Teleophthalmology gained unprecedented traction in NZ during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. However, its provision is still limited and there are equity issues. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review identifying, describing and contrasting teleophthalmology services in NZ with the comparable countries of Australia, USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. METHODS: The electronic databases Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Google were systemically searched using the keywords: telemedicine, ophthalmology, tele-ophthalmology/teleophthalmology. The searches were filtered to the countries above, with no time constraints. An integrative approach was used to synthesise findings. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty-two studies were identified describing 90 discrete teleophthalmology services. Articles spanned from 1997 to 2020. Models were categorised into general eye care (n=21; 16%); emergency/trauma (n=6; 4.5%); school screening (n=25; 19%); artificial intelligence (AI) (n=23; 18%); and disease-specific models of care (MOC) (n=57; 43%). The most common diseases addressed were diabetic retinopathy (n=23; 17%); retinopathy of prematurity (n=9; 7%); and glaucoma (n=8; 6%). Programs were mainly centred in the US (n=72; 54.5%), followed by the UK (n=29; 22%), then Canada (n=16; 12%), Australia (n=13; 10%), with the fewest identified in NZ (n=3; 2%). Models generally involved an ophthalmologist consultative service, remote supervision and triaging. Most models involved local clinicians transmitting fed-forward or live images. CONCLUSION: Teleophthalmology will likely play a crucial role in the future of eye care. COVID-19 has offered a unique opportunity to observe the use of teleophthalmology services globally. Feed-forward and, increasingly, live-based teleophthalmology services have demonstrated feasibility and cost-effectiveness in similar countries internationally. New Zealand’s teleophthalmology services, however, are currently limited. Investing in strategic partnerships and technology at a national level can advance health equities in ophthalmic care. Dove 2021-10-04 /pmc/articles/PMC8500493/ /pubmed/34675470 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S294428 Text en © 2021 Walsh et al. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) ). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php). |
spellingShingle | Review Walsh, Liam Hong, Sheng Chiong Chalakkal, Renoh Johnson Ogbuehi, Kelechi C A Systematic Review of Current Teleophthalmology Services in New Zealand Compared to the Four Comparable Countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America (USA) and Canada |
title | A Systematic Review of Current Teleophthalmology Services in New Zealand Compared to the Four Comparable Countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America (USA) and Canada |
title_full | A Systematic Review of Current Teleophthalmology Services in New Zealand Compared to the Four Comparable Countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America (USA) and Canada |
title_fullStr | A Systematic Review of Current Teleophthalmology Services in New Zealand Compared to the Four Comparable Countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America (USA) and Canada |
title_full_unstemmed | A Systematic Review of Current Teleophthalmology Services in New Zealand Compared to the Four Comparable Countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America (USA) and Canada |
title_short | A Systematic Review of Current Teleophthalmology Services in New Zealand Compared to the Four Comparable Countries of the United Kingdom, Australia, United States of America (USA) and Canada |
title_sort | systematic review of current teleophthalmology services in new zealand compared to the four comparable countries of the united kingdom, australia, united states of america (usa) and canada |
topic | Review |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8500493/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34675470 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S294428 |
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