Article

We conducted a retrospective chart review of 200 diabetic patients who had
teleretinal imaging performed between January 1, 2010, and January 1, 2011, at
Portland Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center outpatient clinics to
assess the effectiveness of the diabetic teleretinal imaging program. Twenty
patients (10%) had diabetic retinopathy. Ninety percent of the available
teleretinal imaging studies were of adequate quality for interpretation. In
accordance with local VA policy at that time, all teleretinal imaging patients
should have been referred for a dilated retinal examination the following year.
Image readers referred 97.5% of the patients to eye clinics for subsequent eye
examinations, but the imagers scheduled appointments for only 80% of these
patients. The redundancy rate, i.e., patients who had an eye examination within
the past 6 mo, was 11%; the duplicate recall rate, i.e., patients who had a
second teleretinal imaging performed within 1 yr of the eye examination, was 37%.
Rates of timely diabetic eye examinations at clinics with teleretinal imaging
programs, particularly when teleretinal imaging and eye clinics were colocated at
the same community-based outpatient clinic, were higher than those without a
teleretinal imaging program. We concluded that the Portland VA Medical Center's
teleretinal imaging program was successful in increasing the screening rate for
diabetic retinopathy.

Langue : ANGLAIS