Quality statements
The Cataract Clinical Care Standard contains eight quality statements describing the key components of care that patients can expect when they have a cataract and when considering surgery.
Quality statements
The Cataract Clinical Care Standard includes eight quality statements describing the key components of care that patients can expect when they have a cataract and when considering surgery.
It supports the provision of high-quality, evidence-based care, taking into account the context in which care is provided, local variation and the quality improvement priorities of the individual health services.
The quality statements are linked to a number of indicators to support monitoring of quality improvement. Follow the links below to read each quality statement in full.
- Primary care assessment and referral
- Patient information and shared decision making
- Access to ophthalmology assessment
- Indications for cataract surgery
- Prioritisation for cataract surgery
- Second-eye surgery
- Preventive eye medicines
- Postoperative care
Goals of the Cataract Clinical Care Standard
The Cataract Clinical Care Standard aims to support clinicians and health service organisations to improve their pathways of care and access for people with clinically significant cataract. It aims to ensure that patients with cataract are offered cataract surgery or non-surgical alternatives according to their clinical needs, and that they have the opportunity to make an informed choice suitable to their individual situation, in the appropriate environment which includes primary care.
Scope of the Cataract Clinical Care Standard
Pathway of care
This clinical care standard relates to the care of patients with cataract aged 18 years and over. It covers the assessment of patients, decisions about cataract surgery and postoperative care.
The standard articulates some key elements for an improved pathway of care, including referral, assessment and surgery. These include:
- Using consistent, clinically sound criteria for determining when cataract surgery may be appropriate
- Ensuring that referral of patients from primary care is informed by these criteria
- Allocating ophthalmic assessments before surgery according to clinical need, using essential information provided in the referral
- Prioritising patients for surgery according to clinical need and based on transparent criteria.
Other aspects of quality care in the standard include postoperative care, the appropriate use of preventive ocular medicines and second-eye surgery.
Healthcare settings
This clinical care standard applies to all healthcare settings where care is provided to patients with cataract, including primary care, hospitals, Aboriginal health services and privately operated eye clinics.