SEARCHCOHORTophthalmology, cataract surgery

cohort·ophthalmology, cataract surgery, epidemiology, public health, surgery·PMC10118291

A retrospective population-based analysis of wait times for cataract surgery in Ontario, Canada

CMAJ Open · 9 authors, 1 centre

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

This study used Ontario administrative health records to estimate wait times for cataract surgery from 2005 to 2019, finding that 35.0% of patients did not meet the provincial target for either the initial consultation or the surgery within 182 days.

Full summary

807 CHARS

The primary analysis ranked referral sources as optometrist, then ophthalmologist, then family physician. The median wait time from referral to initial surgeon visit (wait time 1) was 67 days (IQR 29–147), and from the decision for surgery to the surgery date (wait time 2) was 77 days (IQR 37–155). Overall, 19.3% of patients did not meet the provincial 182-day target for wait time 1, 20.5% did not meet it for wait time 2, and 35.0% did not meet the target for either wait time. Key limitations include the inability to precisely identify the referral date, potential misclassification of referring providers, and exclusion of patients who did not receive surgery. The study demonstrates that administrative data can be used to monitor surgical wait times and identify regions needing funding allocation.

STUDY TYPE

cohort

SPECIALTY

ophthalmology

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10118291

A retrospective population-based analysis of wait times for cataract surgery in Ontario, Canada

CMAJ Open

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Abstract Background: Current methods used to estimate surgical wait times in Ontario may be subject to inconsistencies and inaccuracies. In this population-level study, we aimed to estimate cataract surgery wait times in Ontario using a novel, objective and data-driven method. Methods: We identified adults who underwent cataract surgery between 2005 and 2019 in Ontario, using administrative records. Wait time 1 represented the number of days from referral to initial visit with the surgeon, and wait time 2 represented the number of days from the decision for surgery until the first eye surgery date. In the primary analysis, a ranking method prioritized referrals from optometrists, followed by ophthalmologists and family physicians. Results: The cohort consisted of 1 138 532 people with mostly female patients (57.4%) and those aged 65 years and older (79.0%). In the primary analysis, the median was 67 days for wait time 1 (interquartile range [IQR] 29–147). There was a median of 77 days for wait time 2 (IQR 37–155). Overall, the following proportions of patients waited less than 3, 6 and 12 months: 54.1%, 78.5% and 91.7%, respectively. For wait time 2, the proportions of patients who waited less than 3, 6 and 12 months were 49.5%, 77.1% and 93.3%, respectively. In total, 19.3% of patients did not meet the provincial target for wait time 1, 20.5% did not meet the target for wait time 2 and 35.0% did not meet the target for wait times 1 or 2. Interpretation: Administrative health services data can be used to estimate cataract surgery wait times. With this method, 35.0% of patients in 2005–2019 did not receive initial consultation or surgery within the provincial wait time target.

CITATION EXPORT

Marko M Popovic, Mack Hurst, Lori M Diemert et al.. A retrospective population-based analysis of wait times for cataract surgery in Ontario, Canada. CMAJ Open. (2023). https://doi.org/10.9778/cmajo.20220035

AUTHORS

9 · 1 CENTRES

Marko M Popovic, Mack Hurst, Lori M Diemert, Casey Chu, Mike Yang, Sherif El-Defrawy, Iqbal Ike K Ahmed, Laura Rosella, Matthew B Schlenker

1Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences (Popovic, El-Defrawy, Ahmed, Schlenker), and Dalla Lana School of Public Health (Hurst, Diemert, Rosella), University of Toronto; ICES UofT (Hurst, Rosella), Toronto, Ont.; Institute for Better Health (Chu, Yang, Ahmed, Rosella, Schlenker), Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, Ont.; Kensington Eye Institute (El-Defrawy, Schlenker), Toronto, Ont.