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Abstract #10370 Published in IGR 6-1
Tele-ophthalmology and conventional ophthalmology using a mobile medical unit in remote Greece
Labiris G; Fanariotis M; Christoulakis C; Petounis A; Kitsos G; Aspiotis M; Psillas KJournal of Telemedicine and Telecare 2003; 9: 296-299
The authors evaluated the quality of medical services delivered to remote glaucoma patients from a mobile unit. A four-wheel-drive vehicle containing the necessary equipment visited five different remote locations in Greece. During a three-year prospective study, 1205 patients were examined, of whom 230 had glaucoma. The majority of subjects were examined by the unit's medical staff using the available instrumentation (e.g., slit-lamp and tonometer), while 56 glaucoma subjects were telemedically examined by consultants at the Patissia General Hospital, in Athens. Control data were obtained from a random sample of 260 urban glaucoma patients. A significantly greater proportion of remote patients had an inadequate awareness of glaucoma (77%) compared to urban patients (20%). Significantly more remote patients had poorer compliance (68%) in comparison with urban patients (23%). A significantly larger proportion of remote patients had high intraocular pressure (21%) compared to urban patients (5%). Technical difficulties occurred in the 13 of the 56 telemedical examinations. Mobile medical units can enhance access to medical services and contribute to the health-care of under-served populations.
Dr. G. Labiris, Intermedico Network, Division of Medical Informatics, Athens, Greece. labiris@usa.net
Classification:
6.19 Telemedicine (Part of: 6 Clinical examination methods)
