Tele-Ophthalmology Practices and Attitudes in the Philippines in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey

Azarcon, Corrina P.; Ranche, Felice Katrina; Santiago, Darby E.

doi:10.2147/opth.s291790

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…However, only 16% reported confidence in handling their patients through telemedicine. This finding is lower than the reported result of Azarcon and colleagues 9 where they found that 47% of practicing ophthalmologists and ophthalmologists-in-training felt confident with discussing a patient's condition remotely. The lower confidence reported in our survey may be attributed to the fact that all respondents were ophthalmologists-intraining whereas Azarcon et al's participants were mostly (70%) practicing ophthalmologists.…”

Section: Clinical Activitycontrasting

confidence: 68%

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Training in the Philippines: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study among Trainees

et al. 2023

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Objective. This study was designed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ophthalmology training from the perspective of ophthalmology residents and fellows in the Philippines.Methods. A 55-item online survey on the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on ophthalmology training was sent to 168 ophthalmologists-in-training from March 15, 2021 to April 19, 2021. Participants from all ophthalmology training programs in the Philippines were selected via random sampling and proportional allocation.Results. A total of 158 ophthalmologists-in-training (138 residents and 20 fellows) completed the survey. The areas of ophthalmology training that were found to be most disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic were surgical training (95%), clinical activity (94%), and in-person interaction with consultants in the out-patient department (94%) and operating room (85%). In contrast, trainees found an increase in didactic teaching activities (75%) and research activities (39%).Overall, 78% of the trainees felt that the pandemic had a negative impact on their ophthalmology training. The aspects which were most frequently found to be negatively impacted by the pandemic were mental health (70%), followed by technical skills (69%), and clinical skills (61%). No major differences were found on the impact of COVID-19 on training when compared across year levels and across institutions compared by location (National Capital Region vs. non-National Capital Region) and funding type (government vs. private funding).Ninety-nine percent (99%) of institutions shifted most of their didactic teaching activities to online platforms. Surgical video conferences and simulator training or skills labs were thought to be helpful to surgical training by 89% and 81% of the trainees, respectively. Majority of trainees attended to patients via telemedicine averaging 40% of their clinic consults. However, only 16% reported confidence in handling their patients through telemedicine.Conclusions. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an overall negative impact on ophthalmology training in the Philippines. It caused significant disruption in trainees' clinical and surgical activities, and affected their mental health. Despite this, the situation provided an opportunity to boost trainees' theoretical knowledge. Majority are receptive to new technology-based learning tools to preserve the effectiveness of their training. Efforts to re-evaluate current training programs are needed to ensure sustainability and quality of ophthalmology training in the Philippines.

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Section: Clinical Activitycontrasting

confidence: 68%

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Training in the Philippines: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study among Trainees

et al. 2023

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“… 3 In a survey done in the Philippines, ophthalmologists reported an increased usage in tele-ophthalmology from 53% to 90% at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. 4 Although high percentages were noted, examination of the eye remotely is still difficult due to limitations in examination procedures such as accessibility, interpretation of results, and availability of testing materials at home. One of the difficulties in telemedicine is visual acuity testing, which is the cornerstone of any eye examination.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Philippine Peso Bill as an Alternative Near Visual Acuity Chart in Filipino Eyes: A Pilot Study

Briones¹,

Gomez²,

Leuenberger³

2022

OPTH

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Purpose This study aimed to determine if near visual acuity measurements using a Philippine peso bill are comparable to a standard Jaeger chart. Study Design This is a cross-sectional study comparing the near visual acuity measurements of a Philippine peso bill and a Jaeger chart among sixty subjects. Methods LogMAR scores from the two methods were analyzed using Wilcoxon Mann–Whitney test. The relationship of the logMAR scores between these methods was determined using Spearman rank order correlation. The Bland-Altman plot was used to determine the comparability between quantitative measurements for near visual acuity using the standard Jaeger chart (reference) and the Philippine peso bill. Results There were no significant differences in the proportion of Jaeger scores and mean logMAR equivalents between the two methods (p > 0.05). The scatter plot diagram shows a positive upward trend with a very strong and significant correlation between logMAR scores of Jaeger chart and Philippine peso bill methods (r = 0.9258, p < 0.0001). With a concordance correlation coefficient of 0.9505, there is a high agreement between these two measures. The Philippine peso bill overestimates the Jaeger chart visual acuity by 0.04 logMAR units. We suspect that the contrast between the background color and the serial numbers of the peso bill may have brought about this outcome. Conclusion The Philippine peso bill may be used as an alternative measuring tool for near visual acuity. However, there is a tendency to overestimate the scores obtained using the Philippine peso bill. Future studies are recommended to validate the results in a tele-ophthalmology setting.

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“…Consultations through telemedicine are particularly useful for screening patients for red flag ophthalmic signs and symptoms to determine which ones truly need a face-to-face consult. 15,16 The main limitation of retinal telemedicine in the current setting is that most established guidelines still require patients to have retinal imaging done at an eye center -a situation that is difficult in a quarantine setting. The development of home-based retinal imaging is a major limiting factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Retina Practice Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines

Jesus

2021

OPTH

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The aim of this study was to assess the changes in clinical practice patterns among retina specialists in the Philippines in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: This was a multi-center cross-sectional study based on a selfreported online survey. An online questionnaire was distributed among practicing retina specialists in the Philippines as listed in the database of the Vitreo-Retina Society of the Philippines using a combination of convenience and snowball sampling. The questionnaire contained questions regarding changes in clinic set-up, laser procedures, intravitreal injections, vitreoretinal surgery, and long-term outlooks. Results: A total of 48 responses were recorded and analyzed with a view rate of 41.7%. There was a decrease in the number of clinic consults, laser procedures, intravitreal injections, and vitreoretinal procedures with most reporting only 1-25% of their usual patient load. Several modifications in clinic protocols have been made, including use of personal protective equipment, adjustments in clinic hours, and scheduling of only urgent cases. The adjustments implemented during the pandemic are expected by most respondents to be longterm changes. Conclusion:Retina specialists in the Philippines have implemented changes in their practices to combat COVID-19, following guidelines issued by the local and international governing bodies on health.

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Tele-Ophthalmology Practices and Attitudes in the Philippines in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey

Cited by 14 publications

References 8 publications

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Training in the Philippines: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study among Trainees

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Ophthalmology Training in the Philippines: A Nationwide Cross-sectional Study among Trainees

The Philippine Peso Bill as an Alternative Near Visual Acuity Chart in Filipino Eyes: A Pilot Study

Changes in Retina Practice Patterns During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines

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