Using an infection-reporting database to improve outcomes in cataract-surgery patients.

Endophthalmitis is a devastating complication of cataract surgery and occurs in about 0.1% of patients. However, few if any health care institutions have processes in place to monitor the rate of infection after cataract surgery. Such was the case at our institution, where complications associated with phacoemulsification procedures (cataract surgery) were neither monitored for nor reported. In an effort to determine infection rates and improve surgical outcomes, pharmacists developed and implemented a database for reporting endophthalmitis after cataract surgery. Quality improvement methods outlined by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) were used for the project.