November, 2019- Retinal Detachment - Protect Your Patients & Yourself!
Retinal Detachment Malpractice Risk Mitigation
American Academy of Ophthalmology Identifies Diagnostic Miss Errors as Top Liability
Addressing the Most Frequently Missed Diagnosis
“When we look at the clinical categories of diagnostic error, retina claims far exceed all other types in both total number and overall percentage,” stated Dr. Menke, Ophthalmic Mutual Insurance Company (OMIC) patient safety manager, who is based in San Francisco.
“And by far, the most frequently missed diagnosis in our entire malpractice study was Retinal Detachment (RD)—absolutely nothing else came close.”
Read Full EyeNet ArticleWhy Early Detection Matters
Because symptoms of peripheral retinal tears can be subtle or intermittent, providing patients with structured, baseline testing tools at home bridges the gap between routine clinical visits and acute symptomatic events.
The Zhang Ring Test™
The Zhang Ring Test™ was designed by Dr. Fuxiang Zhang, MD, in conjunction with the Henry Ford Health System. It functions as an exceptionally effective tool for patient home self-detection and provides emergency medicine providers with a reliable screening test to promote rapid, early diagnosis of peripheral retinal detachment.
See Product Specifications
Each issue we take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions that we receive and feature a regulatory Q&A below:
Q: How are the take-home tests packaged and distributed? And can they be safely used repeatedly by the patient?
A: The packaging layout is streamlined for rapid clinical allocation. The Zhang Ring Test™ is distributed in a convenient tear-away tablet format consisting of 50 individual screening sheets. Simply separate a single page from the tablet pad and dispense it directly to your at-risk post-op or symptomatic patient.
Walk through the operational directions in-office, instructing them to contact your emergency triage line immediately if they perceive structural distortion, missing segments, or a clean break in the ring matrix using their peripheral field of view. It is best practice to run a baseline check in the lane prior to discharge. The sheet may be used repeatedly at home as long as the graphic material remains unblemished, free of tears, and in pristine condition.
