Telephone follow-up one day post-cataract surgery

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Health Informatics
• Telemedicine

Background:

• The increasing reliance on technology and virtual clinical reviews necessitates evaluating the safety of these tools, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Virtual follow-up care is becoming crucial for efficient healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the safety and efficacy of virtual, day-one, post-operative follow-up for patients undergoing cataract surgery.
• To assess complication rates and unplanned clinic visits following virtual cataract surgery follow-up.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study analyzed patients who underwent cataract surgery and were triaged for telephone review the day after surgery.
• Outcomes included acute eye clinic presentations and one-month post-operative complications such as inflammation, cystoid macular edema, and elevated intraocular pressure.

Main Results:

• Of 985 eligible cases, 11.2% experienced complications at one month, including persistent inflammation (6.3%) and cystoid macular edema (4.7%).
• 66 patients (6.7%) presented to the acute eye clinic before their one-month visit, primarily for ocular surface irritation (33.3%) and inflammation (25.8%).
• The median phone call duration for virtual follow-up was 5 minutes.

Conclusions:

• Virtual day-one post-operative follow-up for cataract surgery is a safe alternative to in-person reviews for carefully selected patients.
• This approach can significantly reduce healthcare costs and improve efficiency for patients and clinicians.