Consultant ophthalmologist Victor Hu has been appointed as incoming clinical lead for the National Ophthalmology Database (NOD) cataract audit, succeeding John Buchan.
Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed operation in the UK with more than 700,00 operations performed each year. The NOD audit gathers data on surgery from centres across the country with the aim of driving quality improvement by providing benchmarks that enable patients, providers and commissioners to compare clinical outcomes.
As clinical lead, Victor will be responsible for promoting further development of the Cataract audit, building on the work achieved over the past decade.
He said: “It is a privilege to take on this role, and I look forward to building on the excellent foundation that has been developed. The great work and tireless commitment of John Buchan and the whole NOD team over the last few years must be recognised. They have greatly expanded the scope and reach of the audit, generated valuable insights and reports, and established it as an internationally recognised resource. I hope to benefit from John’s experience and wisdom during the handover period and beyond.
“The cataract audit is a powerful tool for driving up standards and improving patient care and outcomes. We already have a huge amount of valuable data, with exceptionally high levels of national coverage. Extending this coverage even further remains an important priority, including ensuring that we receive data from all four nations of the UK. Improving the timeliness of data submission, with the potential to receive high-quality data in near real time, could also allow more timely reporting and earlier identification of concerning trends.
“It is equally important that we hear the patient voice when assessing outcomes. I would like to build on the earlier work around patient-reported outcomes in cataract surgery and explore how these can become an increasingly valuable part of the audit.
There is an exciting opportunity to build on the achievements of the NOD cataract audit and further strengthen its role in improving cataract care. I am very much looking forward to taking this work forward and to joining the highly experienced and committed NOD team.”
For further information visit the audit website: Cataract audit | NOD Audit