A system is in place at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) to ensure that patients who had to have their cataract surgery postponed for one reason or another, can have their surgery successfully rescheduled.
According to Sophia Williams, secretary in the Department of Ophthalmology, this is all in keeping with current efforts to reduce the backlog of patients awaiting cataract surgery. Williams revealed that 288 patients from a waiting list of approximately 537, were booked to have cataract surgery at the QEH this year. She however noted that 32 surgical procedures had to be postponed, due to complications which included patients presenting for surgery with elevated blood pressures, viral illnesses and pneumonia. Non-patient related complications, which delayed the progression of the Cataract Initiative, included such things as equipment malfunctions, limited operating theatre time and the closure of the operating theatres to facilitate annual preventative care maintenance.
“Sixty-four operating hours were lost due to annually scheduled preventative maintenance and equipment malfunctions. Public holidays accounted for 32 hours lost, in addition to limited operating theatre time. This equates to 15 operating days lost,” she said.
Williams meanwhile outlined the procedure which patients are required to go through, once their surgery has been postponed due to health issues.
“Patients who present with viral illnesses or elevated blood pressures are given a follow-up appointment to be seen in the ophthalmic clinic, as advised by their consultant team. In addition, they are referred to their primary care physician, for the control and management of their case. The patient is also required to submit a letter from their primary care physician, indicating that the patient is deemed fit for surgery on the day of their follow-up appointment,” Williams indicated.
The new date given for the completion of cataract surgeries for those on the QEH’s waiting list, is now June 30, as opposed to the previous date given for the end of April. (RSM)