Client’s pre-operative expectations and outcome of cataract surgery at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

Objectives: A cataract is an opacity of the natural crystalline lens that causes vision loss. It is the most common cause of blindness worldwide, accounting for 39% of the 42 million blind people in the world. The optimum outcome from a cataract surgery can be achieved if post-operative subjective outcomes meet pre-operative expectations. It is expressed in different ways including patient satisfaction. This study evaluated clients’ pre-operative expectations and the outcome of cataract surgery at Jos University Teaching Hospital. Materials and Methods: A quasi-experimental, prospective hospital-based study that consecutively recruited 109 participants aged 18 years and above for 6 months. Data regarding the sociodemographic characteristics, pre-operative visual function, and expected post-operative outcome were collected preoperatively, and the subjective outcome and level of patient satisfaction were also assessed 6 weeks after surgery using a visual function index questionnaire. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences’ version 23. Frequencies and percentages were determined for categorical variables; mean and standard deviation, median, and interquartile range were calculated for continuous variables. Correlation was used to measure the relationship between overall satisfaction and expected or achieved visual function. A significant level was determined at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 109 participants were seen in this study, of which 60 (55%) were males. The mean age of participants in the study was 64.5 ± 11.1 years. The median (interquartile range) expected and actual post-operative outcome scores were 100 (80–100) and 98 (75–100), respectively. The majority of the participants, 86 (78.9%), were satisfied with the outcome of cataract surgery, and the predictors of satisfaction were insertion of posterior chamber intraocular lens, absence of complications, and absence of ocular comorbidities. We found a significant strong positive correlation between subjective outcome and satisfaction (r = 0.538, P ≤ 0.0001). Conclusion: The majority of the clients were satisfied with the outcome of their surgeries which meets the high expected outcomes from the clients pre-operative. Adequate counselling, training, and retraining of surgeons are key to improving and maintaining satisfaction with the outcome of cataract surgery.