Accuracy of ophthalmic referral diagnoses by non-ophthalmologists in acute eye care: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
Luis Cunha Gil, Anaya Powis, Helen Wilson, Reshma Thampy, Obaid Kousha, Felipe Dhawahir-Scala · 2026
Read Accuracy of ophthalmic referral diagnoses by non-ophthalmologists in acute eye care: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis by Luis Cunha Gil, Anaya Powis, Helen Wilson, Reshma Thampy, Obaid Kousha, Felipe Dhawahir-Scala (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13289109.txt.
Description
Luis Cunha Gil and five co-authors set out a plan to measure how often front line clinicians get eye diagnoses right when referring patients onward, in this 2026 protocol paper. Eye complaints fill emergency services, yet the first look often comes from a non specialist. Single hospital studies suggest about a third of referrals carry the wrong diagnosis, which can delay care for sight threatening disease.
The review will search three databases up to April 2025 for studies comparing referral diagnoses with the final specialist call. Two reviewers will screen and grade each study apart, using a standard bias tool adapted for referral research. The main measure is simple agreement between the two diagnoses. Where data allow, results will be pooled and split by clinician type and body region. The protocol is registered in advance.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Luis Cunha Gil, Anaya Powis, Helen Wilson, Reshma Thampy, Obaid Kousha, Felipe Dhawahir-Scala |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 24 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |