Emergency Department Nonmydriatic Fundus Photography Expedites Care for Patients Referred for Papilledema.
Emergency department fundus camera cut wait times for patients ruled out for papilledema
Emergency Department Nonmydriatic Fundus Photography Expedites Care for Patients Referred for Papilledema.
Emergency department (emergency department) visits to rule out papilledema or for papilledema workup are increasing.
Adult patients who underwent NMFP-OCT camera examination in our emergency department from June 9, 2023, through June 30, 2024, to rule out papilledema or perform a papilledema workup.
Emergency department wait time to check for papilledema dropped by about half
For patients referred to the emergency department for papilledema, the emergency department NMFP-OCT camera reduced the median emergency department length of stay to 12 hours (interquartile range, 7.5-26.5 hours; 337 patients) compared with 27 hours (interquartile range, 19-33 hours; 85 patients) in 2022 (P < 0.001).
For patients with previously known idiopathic intracranial hypertension, emergency department stay decreased from 24 hours in 2022 (interquartile range, 12-28 hours) to 10 hours after installation of the emergency department NMFP-OCT camera (interquartile range, 7.5-17 hours; 50 patients; P = 0.02).
Implementation of the NMFP-OCT camera in our general emergency department reduced the emergency department length of stay of patients being evaluated for papilledema by 56% and mostly avoided in-person ophthalmology consultations when papilledema was ruled out remotely on ocular imaging, reducing the burden on residents and on-call ophthalmologists.
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