Author: Amal Bilal, Class of 2028

Figure 1: Doctor and patient using telemedicine.

Telemedicine has become increasingly popular because of its ability to increase savings for patients and providers, reduce hospital readmissions, and enhance patient quality of care. The COVID-19 pandemic saw an 80% decline in in-person health visits and a 683% increase in telemedicine visits between March 2 and April 14, 2020 (1). Teleophthalmology, a branch of telemedicine, uses electronic communication to provide eye care services remotely. It can be used for various purposes, including screening, diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and post-visit care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Stony Brook University researcher Anthony Oganov and his team aimed to evaluate the use of teleophthalmology by assessing its precision, effectiveness, and patient satisfaction.

Telemedicine visits were offered to patients requesting appointments from March 30 to June 2, 2020, at the Stony Brook University Department of Ophthalmology. Records from these visits were reviewed for complaints, medical and ocular history, diagnoses, treatment, management, and providers’ specialty within ophthalmology. The precision of the telemedicine visits was determined by comparing the diagnoses of the telemedicine visit and the follow-up in-person visit. Patients were also asked to complete satisfaction surveys after their telemedicine visits.

66.4% of the 783 patients accepted telemedicine visits, indicating that many of the patients were open to an alternate healthcare experience. Despite the average precision of the 1,700 different diagnoses being 89.5%, the precision of the diagnoses varied greatly among diagnosis types. These large differences between specialty results may be related to differences in how thoroughly one could perform an eye exam in person as compared to virtually. Therefore, patients should account for these differences and choose the option with more benefits.

Post-visit surveys illustrated that patients were generally satisfied with their telemedicine visit, with 85.1% stating they would participate in another telemedicine visit in the future. Despite this relatively high satisfaction, the majority of respondents prefer in-person visits to the telemedicine alternative. Although telemedicine offers convenience, travel, time, and cost benefits, additional comments by the patients suggest that although many preferred telemedicine during a pandemic setting, they would prefer to be seen in person under normal circumstances.

Telemedicine was effectively utilized during the COVID-19 pandemic with high satisfaction and diagnostic precision, providing patients with an effective alternative to in-person care that persists to this day. Telehealth offers a revolutionary way for physicians to evaluate patients remotely and acts as an effective screening method without compromising patients’ care.

Works Cited: 

[1] Oganov AC, Chou TY, Hanson PM, Abazari A, Kung P, Weissbart SB, Lenoci JN, Honkanen RA. Telemedicine at a University Ophthalmology Practice During the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Clin Ophthalmol. 2024 Aug 23;18:2369-2380. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S460454. PMID: 39193320; PMCID: PMC11348924.

[2] Hyder MA, Razzak J. Telemedicine in the United States: An Introduction for Students and Residents. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Nov 24;22(11):e20839. doi: 10.2196/20839. PMID: 33215999; PMCID: PMC7690251.

[3] Image retrieved from: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-having-a-video-call-4031818/