Enhancing Ophthalmic Triage: identification of new clinical features to support healthcare professionals in triage

To investigate which features from a patient’s history are either high or low risk that could support healthcare professionals in ophthalmic emergency triage.

Prospective, 12,584 visits from 11,733 adult patients attending an Accident and Emergency department at a single tertiary centre were analysed. Data were collected by ophthalmic nurses working in triage, using an online form from August 2021 to April 2022. Multivariate analysis (MVA) was conducted to identify which features from the patients’ history would be associated with emergency care.

This study found that 45.5% (5731 patient visits (PV)) required a same day eye emergency examination (SDEE), 11.3% (1416 PV) needed urgent care, and 43.2% (5437 PV) were appropriate for elective consultations with a GP or optometrist. The MVA top ten features that were statistically significant (p < 0.05) that would warrant SDEE with odds ratio (95% CI) were: bilateral eye injury 36.5 [15.6–85.5], unilateral eye injury 25.8 [20.9–31.7], vision loss 4.8 [2.9–7.8], post-operative ophthalmic ( < 4 weeks) 4.6 [3.8–5.7], contact lens wearer 3.9 [3.3–4.7], history of uveitis 3.9 [3.3–4.7], photophobia 2.9 [2.4–3.6], unilateral dark shadow/curtain in vision 2.4 [1.8–3.0], unilateral injected red eye 2.0 [1.8–2.2] and rapid change in visual acuity 1.8 [1.5–2.2].

This study characterises presenting features covering almost 100 ophthalmic acute presentations that are commonly seen in emergency and elective care. This information could supplement current red flag indicators and support healthcare professionals in ophthalmic triage. Further research is required to evaluate the cost effectivity and safety of our findings for triaging acute presentations.