Holistic approach to pre-operative assessment for cataract patients.

摘要

When patients agree to have cataract surgery it is important that they are fully assessed to determine their fitness for surgery. This article discusses the benefits of a nurse-led holistic approach to patient assessment, which, in practice, should be more than simply a ‘tick-box exercise’. Essential components of the assessment include obtaining valid informed consent and performing biometry – the process by which the required dioptric power of an intraocular lens (IOL) implant is calculated prior to cataract surgery. It is a highly skilled procedure, which involves the measurement of corneal curvature and the axial length of the eye using either ultrasound or optical methods of biometry. This article examines the vital nursing roles aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of the patient’s ‘journey’.