Listing of cataract patients by optometrists

Quality indicators in a community optometrist led cataract shared care scheme

“…Preoperatively, direct optometrist referral schemes have been harnessed to improve listing rates compared to conventional general practitioner (GP) referrals. Rates of listing for cataract surgery have been shown to be as high at 96% and 89% in two one‐stop models where cataract surgery is performed on the same day as first consultation . Other schemes have illustrated how listing rates can be improved from an average of 75% (conventional GP referral) to 87% (direct optometrist referral route) .…”

“…Shared care models for the cataract surgical pathway have been in existence for some time but there is a surprising lack of information on these schemes available in the literature. 3 A variety of different shared care models with community optometrists have been reported for both cataract referral pathways [3][4][5][6][7][8][9] and discharge pathways. [10][11][12][13][14][15][16] The expertise offered by community optometrists can assist hospital eye services (HES) to reduce the clinical burden related to routine preoperative and postoperative cataract surgery care.…”

“…[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] The expertise offered by community optometrists can assist hospital eye services (HES) to reduce the clinical burden related to routine preoperative and postoperative cataract surgery care. 5,16 Preoperatively, direct optometrist referral schemes have been harnessed to improve listing rates compared to conventional general practitioner (GP) referrals. Rates of listing for cataract surgery have been shown to be as high at 96% and 89% in two one-stop models where cataract surgery is performed on the same day as first consultation.…”

“…Rates of listing for cataract surgery have been shown to be as high at 96% and 89% in two one-stop models where cataract surgery is performed on the same day as first consultation. 4,5 Other schemes have illustrated how listing rates can be improved from an average of 75% (conventional GP referral) to 87% (direct optometrist referral route). [6][7][8] However, whilst listing rates are high via these schemes, one of the most common reasons for not listing at initial consultation is a lack of effect on patient lifestyle to justify the surgical risk.…”

English NHS waiting times: what next?

“…Case study reports of the costs of achieving lower waiting times suggests that many of the changes are nearly costless or may even reduce costs (by eliminating unnecessary processes such as, in the case of cataracts, referral from an optometrist to the GP, for example). 24,25 Other changes, such as a switch from inpatient to day-case surgery -and increasingly in some cases from day cases to outpatients -will also save costs. In the case of cataract surgery, costs per case have been reduced by about one-quarter as a result of the shift away from inpatient treatment which is now virtually complete.…”