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Do we require initiatives to reduce ophthalmic outpatient waiting lists?

This paper describes a five week initiative, which aimed to reduce the waiting list for new referrals to an ophthalmic department. A cohort of 317 patients was examined qualitatively to help determine the future direction of ophthalmic resources. Cataract was the most frequent diagnosis, and one in five new patients were referred for surgery. A third of all referral letters contained inaccurate diagnoses, suggesting that grading waiting times on the basis of referral letters is unsatisfactory. Ten per cent of referrals suffered from conditions that could potentially lead to irreversible visual loss. There was no significant difference between the non-attenders (19%) and attenders in relation to their diagnoses or subsequent management. This initiative effectively reduced the outpatient waiting time from 28 weeks to two weeks, thereby maintaining the outpatient waiting time at eight weeks over the following year.