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Abstract #91578 Published in IGR 21-4
Alabama Screening and Intervention for Glaucoma and Eye Health Through Telemedicine (AL-SIGHT): Study Design and Methodology
Rhodes LA; Register S; Asif I; McGwin G; Saaddine J; Nghiem VTH; Owsley C; Girkin CAJournal of Glaucoma 2021; 30: 371-379
PRCIS: This paper presents the methods and protocol of a community-based telemedicine program to identify glaucoma and other eye diseases. PURPOSE: To describe the study rationale and design of the Alabama Screening and Intervention for Glaucoma and eye Health through Telemedicine (AL-SIGHT) project. METHODS: The study will implement and evaluate a telemedicine-based detection strategy for glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and other eye diseases in at-risk patients seen at federally qualified health centers located in rural Alabama. The study will compare the effectiveness of the remote use of structural and functional ocular imaging devices to an in-person exam. Study participants will receive a remote ocular assessment consisting of visual acuity, intraocular pressure, visual field testing, and imaging of the retina and optic nerve with spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and the data will be reviewed by an ophthalmologist and optometrist. It will also compare the effectiveness of financial incentives along with a validated patient education program versus a validated patient education program alone in improving follow-up adherence. Finally, cost and cost-effectiveness analyses will be performed on the telemedicine program compared to standard in-person care using effectiveness measured in numbers of detected eye disease cases. CONCLUSIONS: The study aims to develop a model eye health system using telemedicine to prevent vision loss and address eye health among underserved and at-risk populations.
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA Vision Health Initiative, Division of Diabetes Translation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA Department of Health Care Organization and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Full articleClassification:
6.19 Telemedicine (Part of: 6 Clinical examination methods)
1.6 Prevention and screening (Part of: 1 General aspects)