Reducing Wait Times in the Ocular Oncology Clinic

Through the WCMICS IGNITE program, Orthoptist Tiffanie Nakos led a quality improvement project at The Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital to address prolonged wait times in the ocular oncology clinic. Review patients often experienced complex diagnostic pathways and extended time in clinic, contributing to growing waitlists and reduced clinic flow.

The project focused on designing and piloting a rapid diagnostic clinic (RDC) model, introducing a streamlined pathway that separated diagnostic testing from medical review and incorporated telehealth options for follow-up. Extensive stakeholder engagement, workflow mapping and patient feedback informed the redesigned model and supported strong organisational buy-in.

The pilot demonstrated significant improvements in efficiency and patient experience. Average total clinic time was reduced from over 2 hours to less than 1 hour, with waiting times reduced by more than 1 hour and 15 minutes. All patients in the pilot were seen within 10 minutes of their scheduled appointment time, and patient feedback showed strong support for hybrid models of care that reduce travel and waiting time.

This project highlights how clinician-led redesign can improve patient-centred care while making better use of existing resources, with potential to scale the model across other specialist clinics.

Learn more about how the IGNITE program supports clinicians to lead meaningful improvement projects across cancer services.

The full project report is available upon request.