Bell, S;
Karamchandani, U;
Malcolmson, K;
Moosajee, M;
(2021)
Acceptability of Telegenetics for Families with Genetic Eye Diseases.
Genes
, 12
(2)
, Article 276. 10.3390/genes12020276.
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Abstract
Healthcare providers around the world have implemented remote routine consultations to minimise disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual clinics are particularly suitable for patients with genetic eye diseases as they rely on detailed histories with genetic counselling. During April–June 2019, the opinion of carers of children with inherited eye disorders attending the ocular genetics service at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MEH) were canvassed. Sixty-five percent of families (n = 35/54) preferred to have investigations carried out locally rather than travel to MEH, with 64% opting for a virtual consultation to interpret the results. The most popular mode of remote contact was via telephone (14/31), with video call being least preferred (8/31). Hence, 54 families who had received a telephone consultation mid-pandemic (November 2020–January 2021) were contacted to re-evaluate the acceptability of telegenetics using the Clinical Genetics Satisfaction Indicator and Telemedicine Satisfaction Questionnaire. Overall, 50 carers participated (response rate 93%); 58% of participants found teleconsultations acceptable and 54% agreed they increased their access to care, but 67.5% preferred to be seen in person. Patient satisfaction was high with 90% strongly agreeing/agreeing they shared and received all necessary information. Ocular genetics is well-suited for remote service delivery, ideally alternated with face-to-face consultations.
Type: | Article |
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Title: | Acceptability of Telegenetics for Families with Genetic Eye Diseases |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
DOI: | 10.3390/genes12020276 |
Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12020276 |
Language: | English |
Additional information: | This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited |
Keywords: | telemedicine; telegenetics; remote consultations; ophthalmology; service delivery; genetic eye disease; rare disease |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Institute of Ophthalmology |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10122357 |
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