Use of Telepresence Robots in Glaucoma Patient Education

Abstract

Précis: Telepresence robots (TR) present the versatility to effectively provide remote educational sessions for patients affected by glaucoma to improve disease knowledge. Given COVID-19’s effect on clinical practice, TR can maintain social distancing when educating patients. Purpose: TR are devices that allow remote users to have a mobile presence anywhere. We compared the effect of an education session given by an in-person educator versus a TR on glaucoma knowledge and identified factors that impact patient education. Methods: Eighty-five glaucoma patients were split into control, human, and TR groups. We measured glaucoma knowledge scores (KS) using the National Eye Institute’s Eye-Q Test. Human and TR groups had the education session with a human or TR followed by the questionnaire. The control group was administered the questionnaire without an education session. Treatment regimen recall (RR) >90% was considered a success. We used linear regression and binary logistic regression to determine variables that affect KS and RR, respectively. Results: Mean age was 58.3±2.8 years. 49% were female. Mean KS were 5.8±0.7 in the control group (n=31), 7.9±0.5 in the TR group (n=26), and 8.4±0.5 in the human group (n=28). Control participants had a lower mean KS than the human or TR groups (P<0.001). Having the education session (2.5, P<0.001), education greater than high school (0.8, P=0.016), and diabetes (−0.7, P=0.037) affected KS. Having diabetes (odds ratio=0.14, P=0.014) negatively affected RR. Having the education session may affect RR (odds ratio=5.47, P=0.07), warranting additional studies. Conclusions: Education sessions with a human and TR improved patients’ glaucoma KS. TRs may serve as an alternative to in-person education sessions and allow educators to safely and effectively educate patients remotely to adhere to COVID-19 social distancing guidelines.

Applications of artificial intelligence-enabled robots and chatbots in ophthalmology: recent advances and future trends

“…In ophthalmology, some studies have explored the use of robotics for patient communications and education. Robotics can be deployed to navigate clinical areas, communicate with patients in multiple languages, and deliver disease specific education and complete specific task assessments [43].…”

Personalized Care in Eye Health: Exploring Opportunities, Challenges, and the Road Ahead for Chatbots

“…Another significant challenge pertains to patient education. Many eye conditions necessitate ongoing management and patient compliance, which can be improved through the provision of effective education and information [23][24][25][26]. Ophthalmology chatbots have the ability to dispense general eye health information, elucidate common ophthalmic procedures and treatments, and offer guidance regarding pre-and post-operative care.…”