Abstract
Purpose:
To determine if a one-week post-cataract surgery telephone call may replace an office visit and to report on characteristics associated with unplanned patient visits within the first month after surgery.
Methods:
Retrospective study of 826 consecutive patients who had phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation between January 1, 2014 and September 31, 2014 at a single surgery center. All patients were scheduled for a one-week post-cataract surgery structured telephone interview with a certified ophthalmic technician. Patients were categorized into 3 groups: those that did not require an office visit between postoperative (PO) day 1 and PO month 1 (Group 1), and those that had a planned (Group 2) or unplanned (Group 3) office visit. Groups were compared with Chi-square or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables; post-hoc pairwise comparisons with Bonferroni adjustments were used as needed.
Results:
637 patients (77%) had a telephone interview attempted, with completion in 565 (68%) patients and no answer with 72 (9%). 154 patients (19%) had the call cancelled due to either an unplanned or planned office visit prior to the call. 35 patients (4%) had missing telephone call data. 11 patients (1%) were asked to come in for an office visit after the phone call; none of them had a serious complication. Overall, 605 patients (73%) did not require an office visit, 166 (20%) had a planned visit, and 55 (7%) had an unplanned visit.<br /> <br /> Significant differences were noted between the 3 groups with respect to gender (54.8% female in Group 1, 62.7% in Group 2, and 74.6% in Group 3; p = .0063), first or second cataract surgery (51.4% first cataract surgery in Group 1, compared to 63.3% in Group 2 and 69.1% in Group 3; p = .0023), preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) (15.0 mmHg in Group 1, 16.2 in Group 2, and 14.8 in Group 3; p = .0001), one-day PO IOP (17.8 mmHg in Group 1, 21.5 in Group 2, and 17.5 in Group 3; p = <.0001), and one-month PO IOP (14.1 mmHg in Group 1, 14.8 in Group 2, and 14.1 in Group 3; p = .0306).
Conclusions:
Replacing a one-week post-cataract surgery office visit with a one-week telephone call was not associated with any adverse events in the first month after cataract surgery. Improved preoperative education for those having their first cataract surgery could potentially decrease unintended visits after surgery.