The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care’s new Cataract Clinical Care Standard has launched, aiming to improve patients’ access to care by defining pathways for prioritising surgical and non-surgical treatment of cataracts.
Announcing the new national standard via a livestream on 17 August was Dr Elizabeth Marles, GP and former president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP); the commission’s chief medical officer Conjoint Professor Anne Duggan; and Tracy Siggins, director of ambulatory care at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. They explained that the standard also takes into account each patient’s clinical need and personal circumstances.
The principles laid out by the new national standard have already proved effective at a local level, said Siggins. “Our experience has shown it’s crucial to have a clearly documented approach, which provides clarity to triage patients based on their clinical needs. The quality of the referral received is key to the effectiveness of the referral management processes.” During her 10-year tenure, the team has developed new ways to prioritise cataract patients, leading to a 79% decrease in patients awaiting assessment, she said.
“The primary driver for our hospital to increase capacity and see more new patients was the development of standardised post-operative pathways. These changes have helped to remove bottlenecks and made a substantial difference to our level of patient care,” Siggins said.
Each year 250,000 Australians undergo cataract surgery, with 70% of those surgeries performed in private hospitals. Many more Australians await cataract surgery, with admission to public hospitals in areas with socioeconomic disadvantage more than double that of wealthier areas, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
