Thousands of research and studies around the world are increasingly seeking answers on how the new coronavirus (SARS-Cov-2) affects the body. Since the emergence of the pandemic, the ophthalmology field has already reported changes in the conjunctiva, sclera and retina . In addition,the virus was found in teardrops.
Now, a Brazilian study has detected the virus in retinas for the first time. The Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) carried out the research, published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology.
Learn about the research, results and next stages.
Coronavirus and eyes: search and results
In June and July 2020, researchers compared the retinas of three patients who died from covid-19. They preserved their eyes and cut them in a specialized lab. Then they evaluated the material put in blades.
The researchers found the virus proteins in endothelial cells, close to the capillary flame and the cells of the inner and outer nuclear layers of the retina.
Thus, the results reinforce possible ocular clinical manifestations of infection. They rise a warning sign: the virus may be directly related to different forms of the disease. Including neurological ones, due to similarities with the retina. In fact, the retina is an important biomarker as it is part of the nervous system. It is more accessible and allows identifying the virus in certain places of the body.
Undoubtedly, the research results can help understand and cope with the sequelae of patients infected with the new coronavirus.
“Now it is clear that after infecting the respiratory system, the virus can spread throughout the body, reaching different tissues and organs. Thus, the findings may help elucidate the virus pathophysiology and its etiological mechanisms. It may allow better understanding the disease sequelae and make way for future research” say the research coordinators, Rubens Belfort Jr. and Wanderley de Souza in news published on the Unifesp website.
Reviewed by Paulo Schor, ophthalmologist, free professor and director of innovation of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) and collaborator of the Faculty of Medicine of the Albert Einstein Hospital.
Follow Phelcom’s blog and stay on top of the main news about coronavirus and the eyes.
Algorithm was runned during the Itabuna Diabetes Campaign and helped the health professionals to screen and refer more than 820 Diabetic Retinopathy patients. The solution will be released to the market still in 2021.
Phelcom fundus camera, the Eyer, has been used in Itabuna Diabetes Campaign several times, but this year it was different. In the captured images was runned an Artificial Intelligence algorithm developed by Phelcom, where it could be identified with a good sensitivity and specificity patients with Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) condition.
Exam being performed using the Eyer during the Itabuna Diabetes Campaign.
The sensitivity was 97.8%, what means a high algorithm capacity in identifying patients with DR. When it was analyzed the specificity, the number reached was 61.4%, that indicates the percentage of health patients that the algorithm confirmed that really was healthy. The AUC, Area Under the Curve, was 0.89 and it shows in this scenario a high rate of the algorithm assertivity to refer just DR patients to in person consultation and not the healthy ones.
Sensitivity was high when indicating more than mild cases, the ones where the patient needs to undergo a medical treatment with a specialist – the mild ones are usually monitored at every given time period. Besides specificity was not in a higher score as sensitivity, it was a good result considering the algorithm was not only detecting DR, but other retinal alterations like hypertensive retinopathy, aged macular degeneration (AMD), toxoplasmosis, among others, while the physician was focused on this project to detect just DR cases.
Examples of the algorithm heath map enhancing the colours in regions where it was detected retinal alterations and pointing the percentage of the Retinal Alteration Score. Source: Phelcom.
The article, published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, points out that screening patients on diabetic retinopathy could be one of the most cost-effective initiatives on diabetes care, but in several scenarios there is insufficient health care structure and resources in terms of funding, trained health care human resources, and facilities.
Eyer is a portable, connected and affordable device to perform posterior and anterior eye exams, these characteristics were highly suited to capture the images during the health campaign. As the equipment offers high quality images, to run an artificial algorithm in the images was a natural step, as it could help the health professionals screen more than 820 patients.
Phelcom has been developing this solution during the past few years, it still has no commercial name, but it will be available on the market still in the first semester of 2021. José Stuchi, CEO at Phelcom, says the company aims to develop new artificial intelligence services that will be aggregated to the EyerCloud, Phelcom’s cloud system to store patients medical records. “We are sure that this new algorithm and other ones we are working on will help physicians to diagnose those challenging conditions that sometimes are difficult to be identified to the unaided eye”, he stands.
When working with scarce resources, whether human, financial or material, Phelcom is creating solutions to break down barriers to eye care access, enabling health professionals to reach patients in different scenarios and regions.
The full publication and results are available in the original article, access: https://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/H58YCATDBNT5YRZYAXKW/full
Google ads for doctors is a tool that helps you bring new patients to your office. We all know that people search on Google for what to do, where to go, what to buy and even which doctor to choose. This resource allows your ad to be shown exactly when someone is looking for services as yours.Thus, you can increase site visits, appointments and, consequently, the number of patients. But, how to attract more customers with Google ads for doctors? Learn how to in this article.
Google ADS for doctors: how it works
Google Ads is a Google Ads platform. It allows you to create online ads with sponsored links, which will appear to the user according to the search keywords.By this, your advertising may appear on YouTube videos, in Google search engine, on sites related to your area of activity, applications, etc. All depends on the strategy your team sets.The position of your ad on Google will depend on three factors: the relevance of the keyword to the subject searched, as well as the quality of the ad and the landing page; the maximum CPC (cost per click) bid, a comparison of the advertiser with the highest value per click; and the Ad rank, an average value between the previous two.
The tool also delivers the metrics of the carried out campaigns. This way you can evaluate the number of impressions and ad clicks, as well as identify the users who clicked. Thus, it allows you to find out which type of ad performed best and better control the return on your online investments.By the way, the charge for the ad only occurs when you receive clicks. In addition, you can also limit the amount spent for each click received.
Google ADS for doctors: how it works
Check a step-by-step guide to create online campaigns with Google ADS:
1.Set the target audience Which patients do you want to attract? Information such as age, job, location, level of education and income help create your target audience.
2.Create the personas Personas are ideal, detailed profiles of the patient you want to attract. In addition to the information above, one must analyze lifestyle, habits, behaviors, frustrations, difficulties, leisure, etc.
3. Create the campaign With personas in hand, you can define which type of media is most consumed and make ads there. Example: blogs and YouTube.
4. Choose keywords This step is critical for your ad to appear or not to your persona. Here, you need to define the keywords that are most related to your specialty and that should draw the attention of your potential patient.
5. Select your goal In the tool, adjust your ad based on the desired results, such as receiving more calls at your clinic, attracting more patients, or directing people to your site.
6. Decide where to advertise You decide where you want to display the ads and Google will show it to the right people.
7. Create your message Show off what’s special about your office in three short sentences to win patients over, or add images to create eye-catching banner ads.
8. Set your budget limit You’ll never pay more than your monthly budget and can adjust or pause whenever you want. In addition, the platform shows the estimated results based on the chosen budget.
Google Ads can be a tool that helps you find ways to improve your ads and generate better results, thus freeing the doctor to focus on what he knows best: serving patients.It also provides reports, insights, and tips for you to track your progress and further optimize ads.
Another tip: create Google My Business, a free and easy-to-use tool that allows healthcare institutions to manage their online presence on Google, including Search and Maps.To do this, you can create a profile of your business with all the essential data.
That way, when people search directly by your name or the office or by keywords related to your specialty, Google will show your professional profile.
See a step-by-step guide to create your profile in this article.
Reviewed by Paulo Schor, ophthalmologist, associate professor and director of innovation of the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp) and collaborator of the Faculty of Medicine of the Albert Einstein Hospital.Follow Phelcom’s blog and see tips on how to improve the digital marketing strategy of medical offices and clinics.
English
Português
Español
