The role of one-day surgical care in the reduction of cataract waiting list
Abstract
Abstract in English
The issue of waiting lists is an important indicator that has been closely followed internationally when comparing health care systems. Cataract is one of the most common waiting list interventions worldwide.
The aim of this study was to analyze the potential of one-day surgical treatment to reduce the cataract waiting list in Hungary during 2014-2019.
The database was derived from the National Health Insurance Fund Administration funding database and included data for the period 2014-2019. The database included the number of people on cataract waiting-list and on the cataract pre-registration list, the actual average waiting time of those on the waiting-list and pre-registration list, the distribution of the number of cases according to the type of the treatment. The financed health care interventions according to the WHO ICPM and the type of the hospitals which concluded the interventions were also compared.
During the period under review, an average of 6,251 people were on the cataract waiting list in Hungary annually, with a slight upward trend in the number of people on the waiting list, but no significant increase was observed between 2014- 2019. The average actual waiting time was 104 days in 2014, but it significantly decreased up until 2019 (39 days). Over the study period, surgery case rates did not change significantly, however, the proportion of one-day surgical treatment rates showed a steady increase. The most performed procedure was phacoemulsification surgery combined with curved artificial lens implantation, which represented 96% of all procedures included in the study (n=458,326).
The number of people on the waiting list has not increased significantly; the annual number of surgical cases has not changed; however, the average waiting time has decreased significantly. This demonstrates that the average waiting time has been reduced without a significant increase in the number of surgical cases, which highlights the importance of the proper care organizing approaches.
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