National Ophthalmology Database – PROM Feasibility Report

Cataract surgery is the most frequently undertaken surgical procedure on the NHS; in the 2017-2018 year there were approximately 435,000 NHS cataract operations performed in England and Wales. The purpose of cataract surgery is to relieve affected individuals of visual difficulties they experience which inhibit their quality of life and functioning. The benefit from cataract surgery is almost exclusively measured in Visual Acuity (VA) charts. Patient reported outcomes (PROM) aim to place patients’ quality of life at the centre of care. Quality of life impairment and its relief from surgery is of primary concern in a symptomatic condition such as cataract.

This study aimed to asses the feasibility of electronic auditing of self-reported outcomes of visual difficulty using a Cat-PROM5 questionnaire. The study took place over a 14 month period between 16 May 2018 and 21 July 2019.

Overall, this study has demonstrated that inclusion of the patient’s voice in the patient pathway is feasible in routine electronic medical record based NHS cataract care and that extraction and analysis of the resulting data demonstrates the self-reported benefits reported by patients receiving cataract surgery.

You can download the report here.

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