Evaluation of Interventions Targeting Follow-up Appointment Scheduling After Emergency Department Referral to Ophthalmology Clinics Using A3 Problem Solving

Abstract

IMPORTANCEMany patients seen for eye-related issues in the emergency department do not receive recommended follow-up care. Prior evidence supports that scheduling appointments is a barrier to accomplishing the transition to outpatient ophthalmology care.OBJECTIVE To evaluate time until appointment scheduling following emergency department discharge with urgent outpatient ophthalmology referral. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThe A3 problem solving process was implemented by a multidisciplinary team as part of a structured quality improvement program with the goal of reducing the mean time between urgent referral placement in the emergency department and outpatient ophthalmology appointment scheduling. The study was conducted at Stanford Health Care, an academic medical center in Palo Alto, California, affiliated with