A bespoke telehealth service, developed by Centre for Eye Health (CFEH), is now enabling community optometrists throughout Australia to contact CFEH senior staff optometrists to discuss patients diagnosed or suspected of having nonacute posterior eye disease.
Launched on 1 August, the free 15-minute consultations provide optometrists with valuable management and diagnostic support and/ or advice, which can also support continued professional development (CPD) given they can be claimed as interactive activity.
This service concept arose in part from the Centre’s success in utilising asynchronous telehealth throughout its 15 year-long association with Prince of Wales Hospital Ophthalmology.
Michele Clewett, External Knowledge Development Lead at CFEH, said the service will be particularly relevant for new graduate optometrists and those who have recently acquired imaging technologies.
“Our aim in providing this service is to support optometrists to practise to their full scope,” Ms Clewett told mivision. “By helping them to diagnose disease and, where appropriate, manage patients in their own practice, we hope to positively impact public hospital wait times by helping to ensure that patients are seen by the right person in the right place at the right time.”
Ms Clewett said CFEH is working with UNSW to undertake associated research to gain a deeper understanding of the value and potential benefits of telehealth services, potentially helping to inform future advocacy around funding gaps and development of more efficient pathways.
“Various approaches to telehealth have been implemented overseas, and in parts of Australia with great success. CFEH has also been involved in asynchronous telehealth since the Centre’s inception, with ophthalmology review of patient files as required. So, this is an arena in which we already have a wealth of experience.
The telehealth service has been designed to provide clinical guidance and advice, but also to contribute to the development and upskilling of optometrists in our community,” Ms Clewett said.
“We believe we will also gain knowledge that we can use to contribute to the wider discussion around development of a national, sustainable model of care.”
The free telehealth service has been funded with support from Guide Dogs NSW/ACT.
HOW THE SERVICE WORKS
Appointments can be made by community optometrists anywhere in Australia through the CFEH online platform. This allows images to be uploaded ahead of the appointment time.
The appointments are conducted through Microsoft Teams with end-to-end encryption for security.
Consultation times are 15 minutes and are eligible to be considered interactive CPD. A certificate of attendance is emailed to the optometrist at the conclusion of the consultation.
Feedback from community optometrists is being sought to continually improve the service.