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Last month witnessed the OCCS partnering with both Optician Online Magazine and The Macular Society in a joint campaign to raise awareness of both the disease and how it is diagnosed.
At the heart of our new initiative is the desire to improve patient care and the relaying of the diagnosis to those affected. What’s more, central to our campaign was to ensure that those diagnosed with the disease are aware of the support that the Macular Society provides and the help the organisation offers.
On 6 April, we hosted our CET lecture which examined how aging patient demographics will place additional demands on the way ECPs manage communication at each stage of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) – from diagnosis to management.
Using the tried and tested model of interactive CET that we have evolved over a number of years, the session, led by Richard Edwards, highlighted patient case studies to illustrate key points in how to manage each stage more effectively, reduce the risk complaints and improve the service provided by the OCCS.
Over 450 attended the webinar with an engagement rate of 75% throughout the event. The robust platform for discussion saw a healthy and interactive debate around current practices and suggestions on what the profession can do moving forward to better improve patient care. In particular, participants highlighted the live patient dialogue and case studies as stand out content. Feedback included:
- ‘Practical, useful advice that I will use on a daily basis’
- ‘Recording the aftermath of explanations given. Use language a layman can understand’
- ‘That communication is equally important as clinical knowledge’
- ‘Good points about how to deal with a complaint well with the intention of a good outcome for all’
- ‘To take more care with our communication with patients, our delivery of information’
Once again, the OCCS would like to express our deepest thanks to everyone who attended and to the Macular Society and Optician Online Magazine for their support and partnership.
