Integrating Telemedicine Services in Ophthalmology: Evaluating Patient Interest and Perceived Benefits

Figures & data

Table 1 Participant Demographics and Clinical Characteristics (N=215)

	n (%)
Mean ± SD age	53.3 ± 22.3
Gender
Male	123 (57.2)
Country of Birth
Israel	145 (67.4)
Eastern Europe	25 (11.6)
Other	18 (8.4)
Western Europe	14 (6.5)
United States of America	13 (6.0)
Education Level
Up to secondary	113 (52.6)
Post-secondary	102 (47.4)
Diagnosis/Clinic
Retina	75 (35.2)
Glaucoma	30 (14.1)
Cataract	24 (11.3)
Other	20 (9.4)
Cornea	12 (5.6)
Neuro-ophthalmology	7 (3.3)
Uveitis	3 (1.4)
Pediatric	1 (0.5)
Not sure/Did not respond	41 (19.2)
Frequency of ophthalmologic visits per year
1	59 (27.4)
2	88 (40.9)
3	25 (11.6)
≥4	43 (20.0)
Years since diagnosis
<1	52 (25.2)
1–5	119 (57.8)
>5	35 (17.0)

Abbreviation: SD, standard deviation.

Table 2 Factors Associated with Interest in Teleophthalmology

	Total (n=215)	Interested (n=143)	Not Interested (n=72)	P-value
Mean age [years, mean ± SD]	53.3 ± 22.3	48.8 ±22.7	62.4 ±18.3	<0.001
Loss of work due to visit? [% (n)]
Yes	36.9% (79)	42.3% (60)	26.4% (19)	0.023
No	63.1% (135)	57.7% (82)	73.6 (53)
Arrives to clinic with escort [% (n)]	37.9% (81)	38.7% (55)	36.1% (26)	0.709
Escort loses work hours [% (n)]	44.2% (42)	49.2% (32)	33.3% (10)	0.147
Ownership in household [% (n)]
Computer	9.2% (16)	6.6% (8)	15.4% (8)	0.003
Smartphone	14.5% (25)	9.9% (12)	25.0% (13)
Combination of both	76.3% (132)	83.5% (101)	59.6% (31)
Previous Use of Skype or similar web conferencing service? [% (n)]
Yes	76.4% (162)	82.3% (116)	64.8% (46)	0.005
No	23.6% (50)	17.7% (25)	35.2% (25)
How often do you use the internet? [% (n)]
Daily	71.0% (152)	81.0% (115)	51.4% (37)	<0.001
Weekly, monthly, or yearly	18.2% (39)	14.1% (20)	26.4% (19)
Never	10.7% (23)	4.9% (7)	22.2% (16)
Do you see yourself using more web services for medical follow-up and eyecare? [% (n)]
Yes	53.3% (114)	67.8% (97)	23.9% (17)	<0.001
No	17.3% (37)	3.5% (5)	45.1% (32)
Maybe	29.4% (63)	28.7% (41)	31.0% (22)
Willingness to pay out of pocket for remote services [% (n)]^a
Yes	n/a	70.4% (100)	n/a	n/a
No	n/a	29.6% (42)	n/a

Note: ^aData presented only for patients interested in teleophthalmology.

Abbreviations: SD, standard deviation; n/a, not applicable.

Table 3 Factors Related to Transportation and Willingness to Pay Out-of-Pocket Among Those Interested in Teleophthalmology Services (N=143)

	Willingness to Pay Out-of-Pocket for a Telemeeting, N (%)
	Willing	Unwilling	Total
Mode of transportation to clinic
Motorcycle/private car	48 (47.5)	14 (33.3)	62 (43.4)
Public transportation/special service	22 (21.8)	20 (47.6)	42 (29.4)
Taxi	14 (13.9)	5 (11.9)	19 (13.3)
Walk/bicycle	17 (16.8)	3 (7.1)	20 (14)
Length of travel from home to clinic
≤20 minutes	49 (49)	13 (31)	62 (43.7)
20–59 minutes	32 (32)	20 (47.6)	52 (36.6)
≥60 minutes	19 (19)	9 (21.4)	28 (19.7)
Estimated cost of travel to clinic (including parking), USD
≤$10	60 (60.6)	22 (53.7)	82 (58.6)
$10–19	18 (18.2)	10 (24.4)	28 (20)
$20–49	11 (11.1)	6 (14.6)	17 (12.1)
≥$50	10 (10.1)	3 (7.3)	13 (9.3)

Abbreviation: USD, United States Dollars.

Table 4 Association of Patient Characteristics with Willingness to Pay Out-of-Pocket for Virtual Consultation

Factor Associated with Willingness to Pay Out-of-Pocket	OR	95% CI		P
		Lower	Upper
Age	0.996	0.978	1.014	0.657
Gender (male vs female)	1.589	0.752	3.356	0.225
Education Level (academic vs non-academic)	2.305	1.050	5.058	0.037
Loss of work due to clinic visit (yes vs no)	1.467	0.629	3.419	0.375

Abbreviations: OR, odds ratio; CI, confidence interval.