Rhea Sridhara
Pronouns: she/her
Research Mentor(s): Olivia Killeen
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Department of Ophthalmology / Medicine
Program: UROPF
Session: Session 1 (9:00am – 9:50am)
Authors: Rhea Sridhara, Anna Wang, Megan Gibson, Aleah Miller, Theodora Vorias, Olivia Killeen
Abstract
Introduction: Professional guidelines recommend pediatric vision screening in the primary care setting yearly from ages 3-5. Data collected twenty years ago suggest there are gaps in primary care vision screenings for pediatric patients. There is no recent data on vision screening rates for pediatric patients; a newer vision screening device, a photoscreener, could help improve screening rates, but the impact of this device on screening practices is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the role of the photoscreener in pediatric clinical care. Methods: Chart review was conducted on 850 well-child visits for patients aged 3-5 from 17 University of Michigan clinics and data on vision screening rates was gathered. 20 doctors and 18 medical assistants from pediatric, family medicine, and medicine-pediatrics practices in the University of Michigan Health System were subsequently interviewed about their pediatric vision screening practices. The interviews were recorded over Zoom, transcribed, and analyzed using modified grounded theory to understand barriers and facilitators to successful pediatric vision screening. Results: Rates of vision screening ranged from 90% at the highest-performing clinic to 4% at the lowest-performing clinic. The highest-performing clinic was the only clinic to use a photoscreener to conduct vision screenings. The doctors and medical assistants discussed the photoscreener as a key facilitator to vision screening, as it helped combat barriers such as 1) extended time for vision screening, 2) patient factors that could make obtaining a vision screening difficult, and 3) language barriers. For example, doctors and medical assistants reported that “The vision scanner itself […] has expedited […] our rooming process. To use the vision scanner is really only like 30 to 45 seconds tops,†and “I’m also able to get better vision screening on kids who are nonverbal [or] kids who may have really significant developmental delays […].†Conclusions: Photoscreener devices can help pediatric practices perform vision screenings more efficiently and effectively. This could help increase pediatric vision screening rates overall. Further research is needed to understand patterns of photoscreener use.
