Impact of Community Eye Clinics (CEC) on Specialist Eye Clinic Referrals

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Community Eye Clinics (CEC) increase accessibility of specialist ophthalmic services in the community, reducing demand for tertiary eye services. This paper aims to evaluate the impact of CEC on first-visit referrals from Hougang Polyclinic (HOU) to Tan Tock Seng Hospital Ophthalmology Specialist Outpatient Clinic (SOC).

Methods

A retrospective analysis was performed on first-visit referrals from Hougang Polyclinic (HOU) to Tan Tock Seng Hospital Ophthalmology Specialist Outpatient Clinic (SOC) over a similar 3-months period before and after the introduction of CEC in August 2018 (1 January to 31 March in 2018 and 2019, respectively). Data pertaining to patients’ presenting complaints, referral reasons, final diagnoses, follow-up plans, and need for ophthalmic intervention were obtained.

Results

We included 978 patients in our study. There was a 27.5% reduction in the number of first-visit referrals seen at SOC after the establishment of CEC. Patients were more likely to be referred on to sub-specialty eye clinics (10.8% vs. 12.9%, p= p = .304) and receive more ophthalmic interventions (15% vs. 16.3%, p = .066) than prior to CEC.

Conclusion

The CEC provides greater accessibility to eye care within the community. Optometrists are upskilled to manage patients with stable eye conditions, whilst eye specialists can provide timely care to the SOC for patients with more severe eye conditions.

KEYWORDS:

• Access
• Asia
• community eye service
• primary eye care
• shared care

Supplemental data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2023.2261528

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Dr Jonathan Chong Ern-Ji, Dr Colin Tan Yong Hui, Dr Karen Ng Ming Yann, and Dr Kong Jing Wen for their contribution in providing data from OPS.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study received no financial support with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.