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Cohort studyClinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026

Impact of a Patient Navigator Program on Access to Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery.

Pooja Sree Tallapaneni, Haniah A Zaheer, Julie Cassidy … Andrew M Williams

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OphthalmologyCohort study

Patient navigators helped 78% of referred patients complete recommended eye surgery.

Impact of a Patient Navigator Program on Access to Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery.

Pooja Sree Tallapaneni … Andrew M Williams

Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026

Purpose

To evaluate the impact of a patient navigator program on surgical completion rates and visual outcomes among ophthalmology patients.

Methods

Recommended ophthalmic surgery who were referred to a patient navigator program to address barriers to surgical care in 2023 were included.

n = 82 eyes

Results

navigators helped most referred patients actually get their surgery done

MD -0.37 (95% CI -0.59 to -0.15)

CI excludes the null - significant

More results

In total, 82 eyes of 64 patients were referred to our patient navigator program for surgical coordination.

Resolution rates were highest for patient referred for transportation needs (28 of 31, 90%) or a surgical companion (25 of 30, 83%), with more modest success for cases involving lack of insurance (8 of 15, 53%) ( p <0.001).

More results

Cataract extraction was the most commonly recommended procedure (53, 65%), followed by retinal detachment repair (15, 18%).

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Conclusion · 1 of 2

A patient navigator program demonstrates potential to facilitate access to outpatient ophthalmic surgery for patients who face barriers to care.

Conclusion · 2 of 2

These preliminary findings support further investigation of patient navigation in ophthalmology as a strategy to enhance equitable access to outpatient surgical treatment.

Post

Impact of a Patient Navigator Program on Access to Outpatient Ophthalmic Surgery.

Patient navigators helped 78% of referred patients complete recommended eye surgery.

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