Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched DigiVis DVA, a web application which allows patients to test their own vision while they wait for their eye appointment and keep track of their own eye health at home.
Developed by Dr Louise Allen, a consultant paediatric ophthalmologist at the trust, DigiVis DVA is an “accurate home vision testing” tool designed for remote consultation, enabling patients to conduct their own eye tests by connecting their smartphones with a tablet. The tablet screen then displays a line of letters “similar to those on a traditional eye test chart”, highlighting a letter at a time for the patient to match on their phone screen, “with children under ten rewarded with motivational cartoon farm animals”.
Voice prompts are included to help guide patients through every step of the process, with an algorithm used to calculate the results before they are sent to the patient via text message or email. The results are then explained by the eyecare professional during their appointment.
The test was originally trialled during the Covid-19 pandemic and has since seen a number of improvements over the years, with the commercial version of the tool now “spreading to other NHS trusts”, according to CUH.
“This is a great example of how digital innovation can help make the NHS more efficient and help patients to be more involved in their care,” Dr Louise Allen said. She then emphasised some of the key benefits of using the test, adding, “Trying the test in clinic gives patients the confidence to do it at home before a remote consultation. Patients suitable for this service won’t need to travel to hospital so regularly. This is particularly important for those in rural locations without transport, and those who find attending a clinic stressful.”
In other news at CUH, the trust recently embedded access to the region share cared record directly from the trust’s Epic EPR.
Patient self-assessment and remote monitoring: the wider trend
NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership Procurement Services recently opened a market engagement for a digital platform that can support self-management and remote monitoring, providing real-time test results, educational materials and two-way messaging for both clinicians and patients.
Last month, Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System revealed how the MiiCare remote monitoring kit has supported local residents aged between 70 and 89 with remaining at home for longer and promoting independent living. A total of 73 kits were sent out across the region, with a number of benefits reported, including increased opportunities for early intervention through medication reminders and behavioural alerts.
Earlier this year, NHS Mid and South Essex ICS reported a 34.8 percent increase in the number of patients using its minor eye conditions online self-referral service over the past year. The service is said to be “ideal for residents experiencing minor eye problems”, such as red eye, painful eyes, dry gritty eyes, recently occurring flashes or floaters, discharge from the eye, sudden loss of vision or ingrowing lashes.
