Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33743634›Full record

ArticleBMC ophthalmology2021

Changes in patient visits and diagnoses in a large academic center during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meghan K Berkenstock, Paulina Liberman, Peter J McDonnell, Benjamin C Chaon

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC ophthalmology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.2field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 32 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Eye Disorders in the Post-COVID Era.Journal of ophthalmic & vision research
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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

4 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.

Meghan K Berkenstock *Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Maumenee Building, Third Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA. mberken2@jhmi.edu.
Paulina Liberman *Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Maumenee Building, Third Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
Peter J McDonnellWilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Maumenee Building, Third Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
Benjamin C ChaonWilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Maumenee Building, Third Floor, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA.
Johns Hopkins University · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo minimize the risk of viral transmission, ophthalmology practices limited face-to-face encounters to only patients with urgent and emergent ophthalmic conditions in the weeks after the start of the COVID-19 epidemic in the United States. The impact of this is unknown.

methodsWe did a retrospective analysis of the change in the frequency of ICD-10 code use and patient volumes in the 6 weeks before and after the changes in clinical practice associated with COVID-19.

resultsThe total number of encounters decreased four-fold after the implementation of clinic changes associated with COVID-19. The low vision, pediatric ophthalmology, general ophthalmology, and cornea divisions had the largest total decrease of in-person visits. Conversely, the number of telemedicine visits increased sixty-fold. The number of diagnostic codes associated with ocular malignancies, most ocular inflammatory disorders, and retinal conditions requiring intravitreal injections increased. ICD-10 codes associated with ocular screening exams for systemic disorders decreased during the weeks post COVID-19.

conclusionOphthalmology practices need to be prepared to experience changes in practice patterns, implementation of telemedicine, and decreased patient volumes during a pandemic. Knowing the changes specific to each subspecialty clinic is vital to redistribute available resources correctly.

Indexed as

SARS-CoV-2Academic Medical CentersAmbulatory CareCommunicable Disease ControlCOVID-19Eye DiseasesHumansInfectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-ProfessionalInternational Classification of DiseasesOphthalmologyPractice Guidelines as TopicPractice Patterns, Physicians'Retrospective StudiesTelemedicineUnited StatesCOVID-19EpiphenomenaOcular diagnosesOphthalmologyTelemedicine

Identifiers

PMID33743634
PMCPMC7980730
OpenAlexW3138099779

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.