Computer-assisted Self-triage for the Ophthalmic Emergency Department

Our eyes play a crucial role in our daily functioning. Many people take their vision for granted, but sometimes our vision is threatened. Certain eye conditions, such as an acute retinal detachment, must be treated in time to prevent blindness. The studies presented in this thesis address the development and validation of a self-triage instrument (ISET) for the ophthalmic emergency department to improve the timely treatment of urgent eye conditions.
The first step was to develop a pen-and-paper questionnaire that was tested by almost 600 patients visiting the ophthalmic emergency department of the Rotterdam Eye Hospital. To enhance the usability, this questionnaire was then transformed into a computer-assisted version with a touch screen. Successive versions of the computer-assisted ISET were tested by comparing the ISET triage outcome of patients visiting the emergency department with the triage outcome of the regular triage assistants. When properly implemented in an ophthalmic emergency department, the ISET provides uniform triage while the medical staff can pay all attention to their medical task and patient care.