As service providers, NHS Grampian and its Glaucoma Laser Clinic have worked to refine their referral processing procedures through enhanced case finding. Enhanced case finding is a known method used in various areas of medicine, it aims to provide information about health seeking behaviour once patients experience symptoms of a health condition. Enhanced case finding has been linked to improved access to diagnostic services for many health conditions (1).
Aside from using enhanced case finding toward improving patient’s access to glaucoma services at the hospital, the project trained staff to further triage patients with suspected primary angle closure as a way of improving assessment and treatment.
Further research is needed, however, this combination of enhanced case finding and increased triaging of patients for a number of suspected conditions may be used as a tool to improve early diagnosis, provide early care to patients, and reduce complications and expenditure linked to late diagnosis of health conditions.
(1) Systematic Screening for Tuberculosis: Principles and recommendations. (2013). World Health Organization. Definition of Enhanced Case Finding. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK294076/
For more information on this project please visit
http://map.sustainablehealthcare.org.uk/nhs-grampian/glaucoma-referral-refinement
Or contact Adnan Khan with NHS Grampian
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