BACKGROUND: @entity726 is a progressive disease responsible for the second commonest cause of @entity1939 in the UK. Identifying appropriate @entity1 for hospital care remains an ongoing challenge for all UK hospital @entity726 services. The purpose of our study is to evaluate accuracy and outcome of community optometry referrals before and after implementation of the new general ophthalmic service contract in 2006, the Eyecare Integration Programme pilot in 2008 and the effect of NICE guidelines in @entity726 in 2009, over a 12-year period METHODS: A retrospective case analysis using a @entity726 electronic @entity1 record was performed encompassing two six-year periods, 2000-2006 (Group A), and 2007-2012 (Group B). RESULTS: One thousand six hundred twenty-two new @entity1 ' records were analysed. Waiting times reduced from 12.3 to 9.4  weeks. Significantly more @entity1 kept first appointment (p   =   0.0002) in group B. @entity726 were significantly more in group A (p <0.0001) and only three @entity1 lost Snellen' visual acuity before appointment in group B compared to 12 in group A. Documentation of intraocular pressure was made in 74.1  % of Group A and 75.9  % of Group B, optic disc appearance in 85.4  % of Group A, and 93  % of Group B and visual fields in 84.4  % of Group A and 81.3  % of Group B. Significantly less normal (p   <   0,0001), more @entity726 suspects (p   <   0.0001), more @entity1538 (p   =   0.0006) and fewer other conditions (p   =   0.0024) were present in group B, compared to group A. CONCLUSION: @entity1 were referred earlier with shorter waiting times for hospital appointments with the new Scottish general ophthalmic service and Eyecare Integration Programme. Additionally there were fewer false positive referrals with more diagnosis of @entity66 . We discuss the benefits of these national screening and referral pathways together with their limitations and further refinements.

A comparative study of XXXX referrals in Southeast Scotland: effect of the new general ophthalmic service contract, Eyecare integration pilot programme and NICE guidelines.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['Patients', 'patients', 'patient'] @entity1538 :: ('MESH:D005902', 'Disease') :: ['open angle glaucoma'] @entity66 :: ('MESH:D004194', 'Disease') :: ['glaucomatous disease'] @entity726 :: ('MESH:D005901', 'Disease') :: ['Glaucoma', 'glaucoma', 'Glaucoma symptoms'] @entity1939 :: ('MESH:D001766', 'Disease') :: ['blindness']
@entity726 :: (MESH:D005901,Disease) :: ['glaucoma']
