TY - JOUR
T1 - Benefits of Integrating Telemedicine and Artificial Intelligence Into Outreach Eye Care
T2 - Stepwise Approach and Future Directions
AU - Chia, Mark A.
AU - Turner, Angus W.
PY - 2022/3/11
Y1 - 2022/3/11
N2 - Telemedicine has traditionally been applied within remote settings to overcome geographical barriers to healthcare access, providing an alternate means of connecting patients to specialist services. The coronavirus 2019 pandemic has rapidly expanded the use of telemedicine into metropolitan areas and enhanced global telemedicine capabilities. Through our experience of delivering real-time telemedicine over the past decade within a large outreach eye service, we have identified key themes for successful implementation which may be relevant to services facing common challenges. We present our journey toward establishing a comprehensive teleophthalmology model built on the principles of collaborative care, with a focus on delivering practical lessons for service design. Artificial intelligence is an emerging technology that has shown potential to further address resource limitations. We explore the applications of artificial intelligence and the need for targeted research within underserved settings in order to meet growing healthcare demands. Based on our rural telemedicine experience, we make the case that similar models may be adapted to urban settings with the aim of reducing surgical waitlists and improving efficiency.
AB - Telemedicine has traditionally been applied within remote settings to overcome geographical barriers to healthcare access, providing an alternate means of connecting patients to specialist services. The coronavirus 2019 pandemic has rapidly expanded the use of telemedicine into metropolitan areas and enhanced global telemedicine capabilities. Through our experience of delivering real-time telemedicine over the past decade within a large outreach eye service, we have identified key themes for successful implementation which may be relevant to services facing common challenges. We present our journey toward establishing a comprehensive teleophthalmology model built on the principles of collaborative care, with a focus on delivering practical lessons for service design. Artificial intelligence is an emerging technology that has shown potential to further address resource limitations. We explore the applications of artificial intelligence and the need for targeted research within underserved settings in order to meet growing healthcare demands. Based on our rural telemedicine experience, we make the case that similar models may be adapted to urban settings with the aim of reducing surgical waitlists and improving efficiency.
KW - artificial intelligence
KW - indigenous health services
KW - ophthalmology (MeSH)
KW - quality of health care (MeSH)
KW - rural health services
KW - telemedicine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127658440&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3389/fmed.2022.835804
DO - 10.3389/fmed.2022.835804
M3 - Article
C2 - 35391876
AN - SCOPUS:85127658440
SN - 2095-0217
VL - 9
JO - Frontiers in Medicine
JF - Frontiers in Medicine
M1 - 835804
ER -