OPHTHALMIC NURSING IN THE UK

Ophthalmic Nursing in the UK

Ophthalmic Nursing in the UK

Introduction

Over the last decade in the United Kingdom (UK), the roles of nurses have become increasingly specialised to support a more efficient and effective health service. In ophthalmology, the changes are most visible in the growing number of patients being treated as day case and the greater nursing contribution to patient outcomes (Jastaneiah, 2009). To support this change there is a continuing need for educational institutions to create opportunities to meet the training needs of nurses working in both specialised areas and at the advance level of practice.

This article reports on a 3rd national survey the aims of which were to investigate trends in the nature and provision of ophthalmic services and the resources and barriers to education in ophthalmic nursing.

Discussion

The results demonstrate that over the three surveys there has been a significant increase of pre-operative assessment units and a significant decrease of designated ophthalmic wards. Between the second and third survey, the results indicate fewer difficulties with funding but there has been an increase of respondents stating a lack of training institutions offering ophthalmic courses (Chang, 2009). The survey shows that at a time when nurses need to acquire ophthalmic nursing skills and knowledge there appear to be fewer opportunities for them to access ophthalmic courses.

Ophthalmic nurses in the UK are taking on an increasing number of tasks formerly performed exclusively by ophthalmologists. The result has been a win-win situation for patients, doctors and nurses, according to presenters at a symposium at the annual meeting of ESONT, which took place simultaneously with the XXIV ESCRS Congress (Farjo, 2009). “Nurses have been pushing the boundaries for many years and actually are regaining some of the job responsibilities that were once inherent in the nurse's job. We have always worked well together with our consultants and this allows some scope for changing our roles as nurses with little resistance,” said Janet Marsden MA, a senior lecturer at Manchester's Research Institute for Health and Social Change. Nurses in the UK today are involved in varying levels of cataract care, but their responsibilities go well beyond cataracts (Oetting, 2009). In fact, one of the first areas in which ophthalmic nurses took the reins was in A&E services. Much of the duties of A&Es in the UK are nurse-led, including such things as prescribing medications and discharging patients. The role of ophthalmic nurses is expanding. In the UK nurses now perform Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy, provide anaesthetic support, and conduct minor surgery, such as chalazia, papilloma, simple basal cell carcinoma resections, Mrs Marsden said. Apart from training, nurses needed education and a solid knowledge base in order to be ready for these new roles and responsibilities, she stressed.

In another presentation, nurse consultant Paul Johnson reported that nurses at Sunderland Eye Infirmary's A&E Department have steadily taken on greater more far-reaching responsibilities. He said that this has resulted in improved services and quality in the National Health Service (NHS) (Aleman, ...