METHODS: This was a study of diagnostic accuracy. We included consecutive male or female patients aged ≥6 months who presented to a primary care clinic in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with red eye. All the patients were initially evaluated by a trained GP using a standardized checklist and consulted virtually with an ophthalmologist. This was followed by an in-office eye examination conducted at a well-equipped ophthalmology clinic by a well-trained ophthalmologist. Data were analyzed using STATA 17.0 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, USA).
RESULTS: A total of 54 patients with red eye presented to the primary care clinic during September-November 2021 and were initially examined virtually and then in-office. The mean age of the patients was 39.72 ± 21.70 years (range 5-90 years). Thirty-three patients (61.1%) were males. The most common cause of red eye was conjunctivitis (46.3%) followed by dry eye (31.5%). There was a significant association between viral conjunctivitis and age (P < 0.001), and between dry eye and age (P = 0.002). Tele eye examination accurately identified the etiology of red eye in all 54 patients.
CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine has the potential to correctly diagnose patients with red eye and can result in a substantial decrease in the number of people visiting the health-care centers.
方法:这是一项诊断准确性的研究。我们纳入了在利雅得的初级保健诊所就诊的年龄≥6个月的连续男性或女性患者,沙特阿拉伯,红眼睛所有患者最初由训练有素的全科医生使用标准化检查表进行评估,并与眼科医生进行了实际咨询。随后,由训练有素的眼科医生在装备精良的眼科诊所进行了办公室内的眼科检查。数据使用STATA17.0(StataCorpLLC,学院站,TX,美国)。
结果:在2021年9月至11月期间,共有54例红眼患者就诊于初级保健诊所,最初进行了虚拟检查,然后在办公室进行了检查。患者的平均年龄为39.72±21.70岁(范围5-90岁)。33例(61.1%)为男性。红眼的最常见原因是结膜炎(46.3%),其次是干眼(31.5%)。病毒性结膜炎与年龄之间存在显著关联(P<0.001),干眼和年龄之间(P=0.002)。远程眼科检查准确地确定了所有54例患者的红眼病因。
结论:远程医疗具有正确诊断红眼患者的潜力,并且可以导致访问医疗保健中心的人数大幅减少。