Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33253756›Full record

Trial reportOphthalmology2021

The Utility of Routine Fundus Photography Screening for Posterior Segment Disease: A Stepped-wedge, Cluster-randomized Trial in South India.

Nakul S Shekhawat, Leslie M Niziol, Sankalp S Sharma, Sanil Joseph, Alan L Robin, Brenda W Gillespie, David C Musch, Maria A Woodward, Rengaraj Venkatesh

Open access · greenAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Ophthalmology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 32% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Nakul S ShekhawatDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Leslie M NiziolDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Sankalp S SharmaAravind Eye Hospital, Pondicherry, India.
Sanil JosephLions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Alan L RobinDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Brenda W GillespieDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
David C MuschDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Maria A WoodwardDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Electronic address: mariawoo@med.umich.edu.
Rengaraj VenkateshAravind Eye Hospital, Pondicherry, India.
University of Michigan · USAravind Eye Hospital · INJohns Hopkins University · US

Funding

Research BaseP30DK092926 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI MARY ELLEN MICHELE HEISLER, ADESUWA B OLOMU · 2011 to 2026
$10.0M
Quantifying Microbial Keratitis to Predict Outcomes: An Imaging and Epidemiologic ApproachR01EY031033 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI WOODWARD, MARIA ANNEKE · 2020 to 2023
$1.8M
NEI NIH HHS R01 EY031033NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK092926
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo assess whether routine fundus photography (RFP) to screen for posterior segment disease at community eye clinics (vision centers [VCs]) in India increases referral to centralized ophthalmolic care.

designStepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial.

participantsPatients aged 40 to 75 years and those aged 20 to 40 years with a known history of hypertension or diabetes mellitus presenting to 4 technician-run VCs associated with the Aravind Eye Care System in India.

methodsVCs (clusters) were randomized to standard care or RFP across five 2-week study periods (steps). Patients in each cluster received standard care initially. At the start of each subsequent step, a randomly chosen cluster crossed over to providing RFP to eligible patients. All clusters took part in RFP during the last step. Standard care involved technician eye exams, optional fundus photography, and teleconsultation with an ophthalmologist. RFP involved eye exams, dilation and 40-degree fundus photography, and teleconsultation with an ophthalmologist.

main outcome measuresStandard care and RFP clusters were compared by the proportion of patients referred for in-person evaluation by an ophthalmologist because of fundus photography findings and urgency of referral (urgently in ≤ 2 weeks vs. nonurgently in > 2 weeks). Generalized linear mixed models adjusting for cluster and step were used to estimate the odds of referral due to fundus photography findings compared with standard care.

resultsA total of 1447 patients were enrolled across the VCs, including 737 in the standard care group and 710 in the RFP group. Compared with standard care, the RFP group had a higher proportion of referrals due to fundus photography findings (11.3% vs. 4.4%), nonurgent referrals due to fundus photography (9.3% vs. 3.3%), and urgent referrals due to fundus photography (1.8% vs. 1.1%). The RFP intervention was associated with a 2-fold increased odds of being referred because of photography findings compared with standard care (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% confidence interval, 0.98-4.40; P = 0.058).

conclusionsAdding RFP to community eye clinics was associated with an increased odds of referral compared with standard care. This increase in referral was mostly due to nonurgent posterior segment disease.

Indexed as

AdultAgedDiagnostic Techniques, OphthalmologicalFemaleFundus OculiHumansIndiaMaleMiddle AgedMorbidityPhotographyPosterior Eye SegmentRetinaRetinal DiseasesVision ScreeningDiabetic retinopathyEpidemiologyOphthalmologyTelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID33253756
PMCPMC8155108
OpenAlexW3107120136

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.