Post-pandemic health debt in cataract treatment and the costs of its mitigation. Population study of Northwestern region in Poland Original research study
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Abstract
Regulating access to medical services via institutional means, but also as a result of unforeseeable events, may generate social costs. This may be especially relevant for indications where treatment results in full recovery. One of such indications is cataract, which, if untreated, is the leading cause of blindness. This paper is the first attempt at empirically estimating the existing medical and financial needs associated with cataract treatment among patients aged 41 and older in Poland, taking into consideration the limitations imposed by the system regulators and the impact of the unpredictable event that was the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The needs and the costs of fulfilling them were estimated on the basis of three scenarios of treatment eligibility. The first one assumed the system being fully open to every patient diagnosed with crystalline lens opacities. The second one assumed a systemic limitation of the treatment access on the basis of visual acuity as an eligibility criterion. In the third scenario, crystalline lens clouding could only be qualified for surgical treatment if it caused difficulties in performing activities of daily livings.
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Address reprint requests to: Medical Education, Marcin Kuźma (marcin.kuzma@mededu.pl)
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