Validating the impact of an alternative, shared-care pathway on waiting times for patients referred for eye examination to a public ophthalmology clinic

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: eye health; Eye - Diseases / disorders of the eye; Public Health - Health service research

• Registration Number: ACTRN12617001222336
• Lead Sponsor: Centre for Eye Health, Unversity of New South Wales

Brief Summary

Not available

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Results First Posted: 1900-01-01
• Study Start: 2017-08-21
• Study Completion: 2021-04-30
• Last Update Posted: 1 November 2021

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 160

Inclusion Criteria

1) Valid referral for eye examination to the Prince of Wales Hospital Eye Clinic
2) Waiting for a next available appointment associated with current wait time of over 12 months in response to the referral
3) Suitable for a potential shared-care appointment as assessed by a senior ophthalmology trainee
4) Written, informed consent provided

Exclusion Criteria

1) Insufficient information on the patient referral for appropriate triage
2) Patients with significant neurological or systemic co-morbidities that constitute an immediate medical or ophthalmic emergency, or need to be referred to other specialties or immediately admitted to hospital
3) Patients triaged for an appointment at the Prince of Wales Hospital Eye Clinic other than next available
4) No written, informed consent provided

Study & Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
T-test analysis of wait times, defined as difference between receipt of patient referral and eye examination appointment date) for patients referred for eye examination to the Prince of Wales Hospital Eye Clinic or the Centre for Eye Health obtained from medical records[two year after trial commencement];T-test analysis to assess changes in the lead time between referrals received for eye examinations at the Prince of Wales Hospital Eye Clinic to establishing a patient care plan obtained from clinical records 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after trial commencement in comparison to baseline[Baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after trial commencement]

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Mann-Whitney U-test to assess proportion of appointments at the Prince of Wales Hospital Eye Clinic that do not require ophthalmology care obtained from clinical triage outcomes 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after trial commencement in comparison to baseline[baseline, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after trial commencement]