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Published on: April 18, 2012
Cataract surgery practices in the United States Veterans Health Administration
Annika G Havnaer1, Paul B Greenberg1, Glenn C Cockerham1
1From the Program in Liberal Medical Education (Havnaer), Brown University, the Division of Ophthalmology (Havnaer, Greenberg), the Warren Alpert Medical School, Brown University, and the Section of Ophthalmology (Havnaer, Greenberg), Providence Veterans Administration Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island, the Section of Ophthalmology (Cockerham), Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Center and the Departments of Ophthalmology and Pathology (Cockerham), Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences (Clark), University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, and the Section of Ophthalmology, Veterans Administration Tennessee Valley Healthcare System and Vanderbilt Eye Institute (Chomsky), Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
Purpose:
To describe current cataract surgery practices within the United States Veterans Health Administration (VHA).
Setting:
Veterans Health Administration hospitals in the U.S.
Design:
Retrospective data analysis.
Methods:
An initial e-mail containing a link to an anonymous 32-question survey of cataract surgery practices was sent to participants in May 2016. Two reminder e-mails were sent to nonresponders 1 week and 2 weeks after the initial survey was sent; the remaining nonresponders were called twice over a 2-week period. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results:
The response rate was 75% (67/89). Cataract surgeons routinely ordered preoperative testing in 29 (45%) of 65 sections and preoperative consultations in 26 (39%) of 66 sections. In 22 (33%) of 66 sections, cataract surgeons administered intracameral antibiotics. In 61 (92%) of 66 sections, cataract surgeons used toric intraocular lenses (IOLs). In 20 (30%) of 66 sections, cataract surgeons used multifocal IOLs. Cataract surgeons in 6 (9%) of 66 sections performed femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. In 6 (9%) of 66 sections, cataract surgeons performed immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery. Forty-nine (74%) ophthalmology chiefs reported a high level of satisfaction with Veterans Affairs ophthalmology.
Conclusions:
The survey results indicate that in cataract surgery in the VHA, routine preoperative testing is commonly performed and emerging practices, such as femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery and immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery, have limited roles. The results of this survey could benchmark future trends in U.S. cataract surgery practices, especially in teaching hospital settings.
