RCOphths National Ophthalmology Database and its potential to further transform cataract patient care outcomes in the UK has been featured in the Ophthalmologist. The article by Professor John Sparrow highlights the positive impact NOD is having in improving surgical performance analysis and its key role in accurately tracking the performance of ophthalmologists, contributing to their professional development.
Alongside performance and care outcomes, Professor Sparrow also covers how NOD can be further expanded to further cement ophthalmology as the leading innovator in the healthcare sector:
Increasing adoption of electronic medical records throughout the NHS provides opportunities to improve outcomes via data analysis. By virtue of the richness of these data, the Audit can also employ statistical models to identify high-risk patients, enabling them to be allocated to more experienced surgeons. Future developments include expansion of the Audit into other parts of the UK and into non-cataract ocular conditions.