App to improve third-world cataract surgery outcomes

The leading eye health organisations developed the Better Operative Outcomes Software Tool (BOOST), which is free to download and install on mobile devices to help surgeons.BOOST guides users through simple steps to capture data the day after surgery, analyse their results and compare their performance against other patients around the world.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: Quality of surgery and patient satisfaction are fundamental elents to a sustainable cataract service. -WHO: Ian Wishart, CEO of Fred Hollows Foundation}}According to Healthcare IT News, the data gathered is anonymous and users can opt out of sharing their data at any time. The app also automatically suggests tailored strategies to help improve care outcomes.Many patients in developing countries are unable to return for follow-up care due to transport or cost constraints. However, with BOOST, surgeons would be able to measure, benchmark and improve their results, even in rote areas where very few patients return.“Effective tools to measure the outcomes of cataract surgery are crucial to improving quality – we simply cannot improve what we don’t measure,” Fred Hollows Foundation CEO Mr Ian Wishart said.“Quality of surgery and patient satisfaction are fundamental elents to a sustainable cataract service. There is great potential for BOOST to be integrated into routine care and guidance, particularly for trainees and new surgeons.”BOOST was launched at the 2018 World Ophthalmology Congress in Barcelona and is available in seven languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indonesian.It was developed following a study of 40 hospitals in 12 low and middle-income countries, published in Lancet Global Health, which showed the benefits of measuring vision immediately after surgery.Aside from the Fred Hollows Foundation, Sightsavers, International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, Orbis International, Aravind Eye Care Systs and the International Council of Ophthalmology were all involved.WATCH VIDEO