Enhanced Scheme Evaluation Project (ESEP)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Enhanced Scheme Evaluation Project: An evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the Manchester Glaucoma Referral Refinement Scheme
IRAS ID
128578
Contact name
Robert A Harper
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Central Manchester and Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
The Manchester Glaucoma Referral Refinement Service is a community optometry scheme that was first implemented in 1999/2000. The scheme has reduced the false positive rate for glaucoma suspect referrals into the hospital eye service through provision of an ’enhanced’ scheme (i.e. beyond the General Ophthalmic Services’ sight test) that funds community optometrists to undertake an enhanced eye examination in the community for their patients (or those of their colleagues) who are considered to be either glaucoma suspects or ocular hypertensives (i.e. those with raised eye pressure that don’t have glaucoma but may be at risk and require assessment and possible treatment in secondary care). This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Manchester GRRS and to estimate the false negative rate within the scheme (i.e. to evaluate whether patients who should be referred to the hospital for suspect glaucoma could be being missed). The scheme is apparently working well and has been demonstrated to have reduced the false positive rate but we do not know what the false negative rate is. We plan to evaluate the false negative rate by routine examination in secondary care of a systematic sample of non-referred patients using the same methodology as used in HES clinics. A sample of 200 non-referred cases which contained zero false negatives would allow us to say that our false negative rate is <2%(380 require examination to get <1%).
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/0024
Date of REC Opinion
21 Mar 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion