A prototype protocol for evaluating the real‐world data set using a structured electronic health record in glaucoma

Purpose As the first step in monitoring and evaluating day‐to‐day glaucoma care, this study reports all real‐world data recorded during the first full year after the implementation of a prototype for glaucoma‐specific structured electronic healthcare record (EHR). Methods In 2019, 4618 patients visited Tays Medical Glaucoma Clinic at Tays Eye Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Finland, that serves a population of 0.53 M. Patient data were entered into a glaucoma‐specific EHR by trained nurses to be checked by glaucoma specialists. Tays Eye Centre follows the Finnish Current Care Guideline for glaucoma in which glaucoma is defined using a ‘2 out of 3’ rule, that is, ≥2 findings evaluated as glaucomatous in optic nerve head (ONH), retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and visual field (VF). Results The clinical evaluations of ONH, RNFL and VF were recorded in 95%–100% of all eyes. ONH was evaluated as glaucomatous more often (44%) than RNFL (33%) and VF tests (30%). Progressive changes in any of the three tests were recorded in 35% of the ‘≥2/3 glaucoma group’ compared to 2%–9% in the other groups. The mean IOP at visit was 15 mmHg. The mean target IOP was 17 mmHg, and it was recorded in 94% of eyes. Conclusion The developed structured data presentation enables comparisons between different population‐based real‐world glaucoma data sets and glaucoma clinics. Compared to a data set from the UK, the proportion of glaucoma suspicion‐related visits was smaller in Tays Eye Centre and test intervals were longer.