A Quality Improvement Project to Decrease Cataract Surgery Cancellations

Abstract

Objective: This project was designed to reduce cataract surgery cancellations at the project site hospital, utilizing a preoperative (preop) tool for better patient education and communication when calling the patient on the phone before the scheduled surgery. Design: The preop call tool was designed to aid nursing staff in collecting a complete medication history through open-ended questioning and determining specific fasting instructions for each patient based on GLP-1 medication use. Participants: On chart review, 117 patients had a medication history that included GLP-1s. Of those patients, 113 patients were called; 94 patients were reached and educated using the preop tool. Results: During implementation of the preop call tool, four cataract surgeries were cancelled due to noncompliance with GLP-1 fasting guidelines, compared to eight cancellations in 2024. Conclusions: The goal of this project was to decrease cataract surgery cancellations by 50%. Project results were successful with a 62.5% decrease in surgery cancellations.