ESCRS - PP07.04 - Ambulatory Surgery Centers: Possible Solution To Improve Cataract Healthcare In Medical Deserts

Ambulatory Surgery Centers: Possible Solution To Improve Cataract Healthcare In Medical Deserts

Published 2022 - 40th Congress of the ESCRS

Reference: PP07.04 | Type: ESCRS 2022 - Posters | DOI: 10.82333/5j4e-we66

Authors: Maxime Bigoteau 1 , Raoul Kanav Khanna* 2 , Jean-Marie Baudet 1 , Malek Slim 1 , Tiphanie Pichard 1 , Quentin Duroi 2 , Leslie Grammatico-Guillon 3 , Michel Massot 4 , Pierre-Jean Pisella 2

1Ophthalmology,Jacques Coeur Hospital,Bourges,France, 2Ophthalmology,University Hospital of Tours, France,Tours,France, 3Medical Information,University Hospital of Tours, France,Tours,France, 4Medical Information,Jacques Coeur Hospital,Bourges,France

Purpose

We aimed to evaluate the epidemiological impact on the access to cataract healthcare of an ambulatory cataract surgery center providing a fast-track procedure without anesthetic evaluation for screened patients.

Setting

This was a retrospective cross-sectional French nationwide study.

Methods

All individuals undergoing cataract surgery in France indentified in the French national administrative database of medical information were included. Data analyses focused on patients living in the Cher and neighboring areas. Epidemiological indicators of patient flow and healthcare efficiency were calculated.

Results

Between 2012 and 2018, activity increased by +50.2% (3665 to 5506) interventions in the Cher area compared with a national increase of +22.7% (720 351/884 254), while maintaining a constant ophthalmologist workforce. The leakage ratio decreased by 5.9 points (26.3% to 20.4%), whereas the attractiveness and self-sufficiency ratios increased by 2.3 (8.6% to 10.9%) and 8.6 (80.6% to 89.2%) points, respectively. The age- and sex-standardized rate of healthcare utilization for cataract surgery increased by 4.3 points (11.6 to 15.9 cataract surgeries per 1000 inhabitants), making the Cher the second best French area in 2018 for the rate of cataract surgery despite ranking 96th of 109 French areas for ophthalmologist density.

Conclusions

Access to cataract healthcare remains a current challenge worldwide that could be adressed by modifications in surgical practices. An ambulatory cataract surgery center with a fast-track procedure without anesthetic evaluation for screened patients could represent one solution to improve cataract healthcare with a constant workforce of ophthalmologists.