Patient-focused urban tele-ophthalmology services.

Since 2000, routine tele-ophthalmology services have been provided by St Erik's Eye Hospital to three large urban primary care centres in Stockholm. Diagnostic support from the specialist eye hospital to primary care centres uses video slit-lamps and realtime videoconferencing. After the initial introduction period at the primary care centres, the number of teleconsultations stabilized at a very low level. Despite this, the general practitioners learned to handle more diagnostic conditions by themselves and to identify what diagnostic situations should be referred to a specialist without having to consult the specialist beforehand via telemedicine. The availability of instant eye expertise via telemedicine therefore proved to be an excellent on-the-job training tool to develop and maintain the diagnostic competence of general practitioners. Patient satisfaction was high.