The United States Army Ocular Teleconsultation program 2004 through 2009

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Telemedicine
• Military Health

Background:

• The United States Army established an Ocular Teleconsultation program to support deployed healthcare providers.
• This program aimed to provide specialized ophthalmology expertise to remote locations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the United States Army Ocular Teleconsultation program.
• To analyze all consultations received from July 2004 to December 2009.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, noncomparative, consecutive case series design was employed.
• 301 ocular teleconsultations were reviewed, analyzing diagnosis, evacuation recommendations, and consultation origin.
• Patient demographics, reasons for consultation, and image inclusion were secondary measures.

Main Results:

• The program received 301 consultations, with an average response time of 5 hours and 41 minutes.
• Most consultations originated from Iraq and Afghanistan, primarily for patient care (94.7%).
• Anterior segment disease (45.3%) and oculoplastic problems (23.9%) were most common; evacuation was recommended in 43.2% of cases.

Conclusions:

• The Ocular Teleconsultation program offers valuable tertiary support to deployed providers, facilitating appropriate referrals and reducing unnecessary evacuations.
• Enhancements in remote diagnostic and imaging technology could further improve consultant support for distant providers and their patients.