Menon Vaishnavi, Treen Talia, Burdon Michael A, Batra Ruchika
Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
Birmingham Neuro-Ophthalmology Unit, University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK.
BMJ Open Ophthalmol. 2020 Dec 29;5(1):e000587. doi: 10.1136/bmjophth-2020-000587. eCollection 2020.
Vision loss has a significant impact on physical, mental and social well-being. Eye clinic liaison officers (ECLOs) have a crucial role in providing holistic care for patients with visual impairment. The aim of this study was to review the work of an ECLO over a period of 1 year at an NHS Trust to determine the volume of work and the areas of support provided by the ECLO.
A secondary data analysis of the ECLO case notes for all patients reviewed by the ECLO at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust during the year 2019, was performed. Demographic data and certification of visual impairment (CVI) status were noted. The main outcome variable recorded was the categories of support provided by the ECLO. Case vignettes were chosen to illustrate the variety of support offered to individual patients.
A total of 1127 consecutive participants were reviewed by the ECLO at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB) NHS Trust during the year 2019. Areas of support most commonly provided by the ECLO included aiding the process of registration for CVI, and assistance in accessing benefits, social support and low vision support. Severely sight impaired patients required significantly more areas of support than sight impaired patients (Χ=52.7, p=2.16×10). Three case vignettes, chosen by the ECLO, highlighted the positive impact of the ECLO with respect to emotional support, practical advice and as a point of contact ensuring continuity of care, also during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ECLO at UHB NHS Trust provides a core patient service within the ophthalmology department by being a key source of practical and emotional support and the crucial link between healthcare, social care and voluntary services.
视力丧失对身体、心理和社会福祉有重大影响。眼科门诊联络官（ECLO）在为视力受损患者提供全面护理方面发挥着关键作用。本研究的目的是回顾一名ECLO在一家国民保健服务信托机构1年期间的工作，以确定其工作量以及所提供支持的领域。
对2019年伯明翰大学医院（UHB）国民保健服务信托机构的ECLO所复查的所有患者的病例记录进行二次数据分析。记录人口统计学数据和视力损害认证（CVI）状态。记录的主要结果变量是ECLO提供的支持类别。选择病例 vignettes 来说明为个体患者提供的各种支持。
2019年，伯明翰大学医院（UHB）国民保健服务信托机构的ECLO共复查了1127名连续参与者。ECLO最常提供支持的领域包括协助CVI注册过程，以及在获取福利、社会支持和低视力支持方面提供帮助。严重视力受损患者比视力受损患者需要显著更多领域的支持（Χ=52.7，p=2.16×10）。由ECLO选择的三个病例 vignettes 突出了ECLO在情感支持、实用建议以及作为确保护理连续性的联系点方面的积极影响，即使在COVID-19大流行期间也是如此。
UHB国民保健服务信托机构的ECLO通过成为实际和情感支持的关键来源以及医疗保健、社会护理和志愿服务之间的关键联系，在眼科部门提供核心患者服务。
