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Comment on: Are electronic medical records a medicolegal risk to the oculoplastic surgeon? A survey of British Oculoplastic Surgery Society Members

Eye volume 37, page 2360 (2023)Cite this article

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We read with interest the brief communication by Hunt et al. [1]. We agree that oculoplastics poses challenges for digital conversion to an electronic medical record (EMR), given the extensive use of static and dynamic measurements, and diagrammatic representation. Generic ophthalmology templates would not be suitable for accurate recording of many oculoplastic examination findings or interventions and the nuances of this are ill-suited to the use of drop-down menus.

Recognising this, the authors convened an Oculoplastic Working Group to design a series of easily adjustable, detail-oriented purpose-built modules for recording oculoplastic findings accurately within OpenEyesTM (Apperta Foundation; Sunderland, United Kingdom) [2], one of several ophthalmology-focused EMRs available in the UK. The need for this was raised at the British Oculoplastic Surgery Society (BOPSS) AGM in 2019 by the group in an attempt to encourage collaboration. These modules, which should be available to all users in the near future, include adjustable eyelid doodles including the ability to indicate lesions, lash loss, and malposition; orbital examination and pathology; and charts for recording administration of Botox with full face representation. Further modules (e.g., lacrimal syringing) are planned for future development. Once these changes are live, we plan to conduct a survey of BOPSS members to establish a consensus on an oculoplastic minimum dataset for EMRs in general.

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References

  1. Hunt SV, Caesar R, Malhotra R. Are electronic medical records a medicolegal risk to the oculoplastic surgeon? A survey of British Oculoplastic Surgery Society Members. Eye. 2022;36:1326–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-021-01835-0. 2022

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  2. OpenEyesTM https://openeyes.apperta.org/.

  3. Lim SB, Shahid H. Distribution and extent of electronic medical record utilisation in eye units across the United Kingdom: a cross-sectional study of the current landscape. BMJ Open. 2017;7:e012682.

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  4. NHS UK. The NHS long term plan. Chapter 5: Digitally-enabled care will go mainstream across the NHS. 2019. Available at: https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/online-version/chapter-5-digitally-enabled-care-will-go-mainstream-across-the-nhs/

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ophthalmology Dept, Eye, Ear and Mouth Unit, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, Maidstone, UK

    Sarju Athwal & Carole Jones

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, Bolton, UK

    Priya R. Bhatt

  3. Ophthalmology Dept, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Cardiff, UK

    Anjana Haridas

Authors
  1. Sarju Athwal
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  2. Priya R. Bhatt
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  3. Anjana Haridas
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  4. Carole Jones
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SA conceived the article. SA and PB drafted the article. All authors provided critical revisions and provided final approval of the version to be published.

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Correspondence to Sarju Athwal.

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Athwal, S., Bhatt, P.R., Haridas, A. et al. Comment on: Are electronic medical records a medicolegal risk to the oculoplastic surgeon? A survey of British Oculoplastic Surgery Society Members. Eye 37, 2360 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-022-02340-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-022-02340-8

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