Referral characteristics and wait times for uveitis consultation at academic tertiary care centres in Toronto.
Can J Ophthalmol
; 53(6): 639-645, 2018 12.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-30502992
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To assess the characteristics of referrals to academic uveitis tertiary care centres in Toronto and identify determinants of wait time for consultation.DESIGN:
Retrospective case series.METHODS:
Consecutive new uveitis referrals received at 5 University of Toronto-affiliated uveitis tertiary care centres, between February 2016 and November 2016, were included.RESULTS:
A total of 159 new uveitis referrals were received from academic (69%) and community (31%) providers. A large proportion of referrals were sent by comprehensive ophthalmologists (33%) and retina specialists (38%). Disease was bilateral in 46% of cases, had an acute onset in 43% of cases, and was classified as posterior uveitis in 38% of cases. Disease etiology at the time of referral was unknown in 55% of cases. Only 43% of all referrals included a basic uveitis workup, and patients who had undergone diagnostic testing had a shorter wait time for consultation (41 ± 43 vs. 59 ± 54 days, p = 0.033). Acute uveitis had a shorter wait time compared with recurrent and chronic uveitis (33 ± 42 vs. 66 ± 44 and 59 ± 58 days, p < 0.001). Referrals triaged as urgent had significantly shorter wait times compared with referrals triaged as semiurgent or elective (7 ± 10 vs. 54 ± 43 and 88 ± 59, p < 0.001).CONCLUSIONS:
Referrals to academic uveitis tertiary care centres in Toronto are often acute, bilateral cases affecting the posterior segment without a known etiology. Approximately half of referrals include no diagnostic workup, which may delay diagnosis for patients and lengthen wait times for consultation. We provide a set of recommendations for investigations that should be included in uveitis referrals.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Encaminhamento e Consulta
/
Triagem
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Listas de Espera
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Centros de Atenção Terciária
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Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde
Tipo de estudo:
Guideline
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Observational_studies
/
Prognostic_studies
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Limite:
Adolescent
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Adult
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Aged
/
Aged80
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Child
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Female
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
País/Região como assunto:
America do norte
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Can J Ophthalmol
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article