Better Operative Outcomes
Software Tool
BOOST (Better Operative Outcomes Software Tool) is a simple, free tool to help surgeons monitor and improve cataract surgical outcomes. BOOST enables hospital administrators and surgeons to record results immediately after surgery, then analyse and benchmark their results against other users around the world. It also suggests strategies to improve surgical quality where results are poor. All data is 100% anonymous.
BOOST is a collaborative initiative between leading eye health organisations. The app is a free tool that works across multiple devices and can be used offline. Assessment tools like BOOST are vital to support training and ensure high- quality cataract surgery. The design for BOOST is based on peer-reviewed evidence across multiple countries.
By stepping users through the process of collecting uncorrected visual acuity immediately after surgery, BOOST allows them to rapidly assess surgical quality. A second phase helps identify the most common cause of poor outcomes. The BOOST app allows users (surgeons and hospital administrators) to benchmark their performance against data in the cloud, either locally or globally. Benchmarking is completely anonymous. Users can also generate graphs and handy reports directly from the app, to inform their ongoing monitoring and quality assurance practice.
- Improving the practice of cataract surgical outcome measurement(Congdon et al, Community Eye Health Journal, 2019) outlines key considerations for a successful cataract outcome monitoring and continuous quality improvement system, and how BOOST supports ongoing improvement.
- Cataract BOOST Global Launch (International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness)
- Transforming research results into useful tools for global health: BOOST (Congdon et al, Lancet Global Health, 2016)
- Validity of early vision assessment: The PRECOG study (Congdon et al, Lancet Global Health, 2013) showed that measuring acuity < 3 days after surgery was highly predictive of vision outcomes after 6 weeks
- Monitoring surgical outcomes: methods and tools (Limburg H et al, BJO, 2005) have shown when hospitals assess their surgical outcomes, results improve.