Background: The purpose of the present paper was to evaluate the variability of using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and to assess the feasibility of a priority-setting scoring system for prioritizing elective cataract surgery.
Methods: Consecutive cases listed for cataract surgery were prospectively recruited. Ophthalmologists listed patients to undergo early or normal surgery and were asked to rate the urgency of surgery using a VAS. Patients were then reassessed and a cataract surgery prioritization (CSP) score was calculated based on the New Zealand priority criteria for cataract surgery. Correlation coefficients between VAS and CSP scores were calculated to determine the variability among ophthalmologists in using the VAS in prioritizing surgery. Further analyses were performed to assess the potential impact of implementing the CSP system.
Results: A total of 326 patients were recruited. There was a positive correlation between VAS and CSP scores (Spearman rho= 0.407, P < 0.001). A high degree of variation among ophthalmologists in the use of VAS was found. Patients with poor binocular vision were not listed as early, whereas patients with poor vision in the eye listed for cataract surgery but good vision in the fellow eye were more likely to be prioritized to have early operation. These findings suggest that patients with severe impairment in binocular visual function were not adequately accounted for during cataract surgery listing.
Conclusions: The use of a VAS for prioritizing cataract surgery may be suboptimal due to high subjectivity. Adoption of an objective criteria-validated priority-setting scoring system may allow better stratification of patients to ensure better service provision.