Neuro-ophthalmology Emergency Department and Inpatient Consultations at a Large Academic Referral Center

Prompt neuro-ophthalmology consultation prevents diagnostic errors and improves patient outcomes. The scarcity of neuro-ophthalmologists means that the increasing outpatient demand cannot be met, prompting many emergency department (ED) referrals by non-neuro-ophthalmologists. We describe our quaternary care institution's ED and inpatient neuro-ophthalmology consultation patterns and patient outcomes.

Prospective observational study.

Consecutive neuro-ophthalmology ED and inpatient consultation requests over 1 year.

We collected patient demographics, distance traveled, insurance status, referring provider details, consultation question, final diagnosis, complexity of consultation, time of consultation, and need for outpatient follow-up.

Consultation patterns and diagnoses, complexity, and follow-up.

Of 494 consecutive adult ED and inpatient neuro-ophthalmology consultations requested over 1 year, 241 of 494 consultations (49%) occurred at night or during weekends. Of ED consultations (322 of 494 [65%]), 127 of 322 consultations (39%) occurred during weekdays, 126 of 322 consultations (39%) occurred on weeknights, and 69 of 322 consultations (22%) occurred on weekends or holidays. Of 322 ED consultations, 225 of 322 consultations (70%) were patients who initially sought treatment in the ED with a neuro-ophthalmic chief symptom. Of the 196 patients sent to the ED by a health care professional, 148 patients (148/196 [76%]) were referred by eye care specialists (74 optometrists and 74 ophthalmologists). The most common ED referral questions were for papilledema (75 of 322 [23%]) and vision loss (72 of 322 [22%]). A total of 219 of 322 patients (68%) received a final active neuro-ophthalmic diagnosis, 222 of 322 patients (69%) were cases of high or very high complexity, and 143 of 322 patients (44%) required admission. Inpatient consultations (n = 172) were requested most frequently by hospitalists, including neurologists (71 of 172 [41%]) and oncologists (20 of 172 [12%]) for vision loss (43 of 172 [25%]) and eye movement disorders (36 of 172 [21%]) and by neurosurgeons (58 of 172 [33%]) for examination for mass or a preoperative evaluation (19 of 172 [11%]). An active neuro-ophthalmic diagnosis was confirmed in 67% of patients (116 of 172). Outpatient neuro-ophthalmology follow-up was required for 291 of 494 patients (59%).

Neuro-ophthalmology consultations are critical to the diagnosis and management in the hospital setting. In the face of a critical shortage of neuro-ophthalmologists, this study highlights the need for technological and diagnostic aids for greater outpatient access.

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.