Protocol for a qualitative study to explore acceptability, barriers, and facilitators of the implementation of new teleophthalmology technologies between community optometry practices and hospital eye services

Novel teleophthalmology technologies have the potential to reduce unnecessary and inaccurate referrals between community optometry practices and hospital eye services and as a result improve patients’ access to appropriate and timely eye care. However, little is known on the acceptability and facilitators and barriers of the implementations of these technologies in real-life. A theoretically informed, qualitative study will explore patients’ and healthcare professionals’ perspectives on teleophthalmology and Artificial Intelligence Decision Support System (AI DSS) models of care. A combination of situated observations in community optometry practices and hospital eye services, semi-structured qualitative interviews with patients and healthcare professionals and self-audio recordings of healthcare professionals will be conducted. Participants will be purposively selected from 4-5 hospital eye services and 6-8 affiliated community optometry practices. The aim will be to recruit 30-36 patients and 30 healthcare professionals from hospital eye services and community optometry practices. All interviews will be audio-recorded, with participants’ permission, and transcribed verbatim. Data from interviews, observations and self-audio recordings will be analysed thematically and will be informed by Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) and an inductive approach.