Injury Division, The George Institute for Global Health, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
School of Optometry and Vision Science, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Clin Exp Optom. 2020 Mar;103(2):201-206. doi: 10.1111/cxo.12928. Epub 2019 Jun 20.
Previous research has shown that cataract surgery referral letters to major metropolitan public hospitals in New South Wales have insufficient detail to inform patient triage or apply prioritisation tools. This study aimed to canvass the views of optometrists working in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory (NSW/ACT) on standardising the referral process for public hospital cataract surgery.
An online survey was sent to all NSW/ACT members of Optometry Australia in October 2017. Respondents were asked to select clinical and personal information to be included on a referral template using a list of 25 items. Data were also gathered on preferences for the cataract referral process and sources of cataract referral guidelines.
Two hundred and thirteen (response rate 13 per cent) optometrists completed the survey. There was close to universal support for inclusion of items like visual acuity (99 per cent), whereas other items had low support, including the date and details of previous refraction (26 per cent), history of falls (29 per cent) and health insurance status (29 per cent). Three-quarters of optometrists stated they would be willing to administer and report data from a patient survey about the functional impact of their cataract and level of visual disability. The preferred format of a standardised cataract referral template varied, although time efficiency and ease of completion were commonly cited reasons for preferences. Confirmation of receipt of referral from the public hospital, and a copy of the referral letter for the optometrist's records were also desirable. For the 61 per cent of respondents who reported accessing guidelines for cataract referral, 69 per cent stated the main source was Optometry NSW/ACT with fewer accessing guidelines directly from a public hospital or the NSW Health website.
Optometrists' preferences will be useful to inform the design and implementation of a standardised cataract referral template.
先前的研究表明，新南威尔士州主要大都市公立医院的白内障手术转诊信提供的信息不足，无法为患者分诊或使用优先排序工具提供信息。本研究旨在征求新南威尔士州和澳大利亚首都领地（NSW/ACT）的验光师对标准化公立医院白内障手术转诊流程的意见。
2017 年 10 月，向 Optometry Australia 的所有 NSW/ACT 成员发送了在线调查。要求受访者使用包含 25 个项目的列表选择转诊模板中应包含的临床和个人信息。还收集了对白内障转诊流程的偏好以及白内障转诊指南来源的数据。
213 名（响应率为 13%）验光师完成了调查。几乎所有受访者都支持在转诊模板中包含视力（99%）等项目，而其他项目的支持率较低，包括上次配镜的日期和详细信息（26%）、跌倒史（29%）和健康保险状况（29%）。四分之三的验光师表示愿意为患者调查他们的白内障对其功能的影响和视力残疾程度，并报告数据。标准白内障转诊模板的首选格式有所不同，尽管效率和完成的便利性通常是偏好的原因。从公立医院确认收到转诊，并为验光师的记录提供转诊信的副本也是可取的。对于 61%报告访问过白内障转诊指南的受访者，69%表示主要来源是 Optometry NSW/ACT，而较少的受访者直接从公立医院或新南威尔士州卫生署网站获取指南。
验光师的偏好将有助于为标准化白内障转诊模板的设计和实施提供信息。
