Mobile app assists in workup, differential diagnosis of uveitis
NEW YORK — A mobile application that provides a suggested workup and differential diagnosis for patients presenting with uveitis showed a high degree of agreement with the choices and evaluation of attending retina specialists.
The diagnostic workup and differential diagnosis of patients with uveitis is often a challenge, particularly for ophthalmologists in training. To be sure of the diagnosis, they often prescribe unnecessary testing. In response, a group of residents from the department of ophthalmology at Loma Linda University Medical Center developed a mobile application that gives a suggested workup and differential diagnosis for patients presenting with uveitis.
In a prospective study of 25 patients with uveitis, the study authors compared the results based on the app with the workup and differential diagnoses proposed by an on-call resident and an attending retina specialist. The results were presented in a poster at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting.
“We found that in 84% of the cases, the app and the retina specialist agreed on the same initial laboratory workup as well as the top three differential diagnoses,” the authors wrote. They also found that the resident physicians “tended to order unnecessary labs at the initial visit in comparison to the app and the attending physician.”
The app could be a good tool for ophthalmology residents, comprehensive ophthalmologists and allied health care providers to guide the workup of those who present with uveitis.
“We believe that it can help reduce the health care costs associated with unnecessary testing, although further study is needed,” the authors wrote.
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James A, et al. Mobile phone application for diagnosis and workup of uveitides positively correlates with expert consultation. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting; July 13-16, 2022; New York.