Setting Up a Setting Up a Counseling Counseling

Department in an Eye Department in an Eye HospitalsHospitals

J.IndiraJ.Indira

Counseling in Eye CareCounseling in Eye Care

• To provide awareness about eye To provide awareness about eye carecare

• To Increase compliance to treatmentTo Increase compliance to treatment• To market hospital servicesTo market hospital services• To moderate patient expectationsTo moderate patient expectations• To improve patient satisfactionTo improve patient satisfaction

Steps in starting a Steps in starting a counseling Departmentcounseling Department

• Getting sanction of the senior Getting sanction of the senior managementmanagement

• Recruitment and selection of counsellorsRecruitment and selection of counsellors• Job specificationJob specification• Induction training for the new counsellorInduction training for the new counsellor• Infrastructure requirementsInfrastructure requirements• Counseling aidsCounseling aids• Monitoring performance of counselingMonitoring performance of counseling

Getting sanction of the Getting sanction of the senior Managementsenior Management

Provide JustificationProvide Justification• For increasing the number of patientsFor increasing the number of patients• For increasing uptake to services For increasing uptake to services • Better utilization of Doctors and Better utilization of Doctors and

ParamedicalParamedical• Better approach towards patients Better approach towards patients

(speaking local languages, anologies (speaking local languages, anologies familiar to the patients)familiar to the patients)

RecruitmentRecruitment

• Training the existing staffTraining the existing staff• Hiring a new personHiring a new person• Fresh graduates ,News paper Fresh graduates ,News paper

advertisements and through internal advertisements and through internal candidatescandidates

SelectionSelection

• Individual quality of the personIndividual quality of the person• Pleasant personalityPleasant personality• CheerfulnessCheerfulness• Interested in interacting with peopleInterested in interacting with people• Independent, responsible open, bold, Independent, responsible open, bold,

bright, smiling.bright, smiling.• Openness and committedOpenness and committed

Skills requiredSkills required

• ListeningListening• Ability to empathizeAbility to empathize• Under stand and speak local Under stand and speak local

languageslanguages• Ability to develop conversationAbility to develop conversation

Job specificationJob specification

• Communicating about diseases and Communicating about diseases and systems and about the Treatment systems and about the Treatment optionsoptions

• Facilities offeredFacilities offered• Motivating towards surgeryMotivating towards surgery• Pre Operative counselingPre Operative counseling• Provide discharge InstructionsProvide discharge Instructions• Encourage towards follow up Encourage towards follow up

TrainingTraining

• Clinical details Clinical details • About the HospitalAbout the Hospital• Counseling SkillsCounseling Skills

InfrastructureInfrastructure

Space, Desk ,chair, Registers and shelf.Space, Desk ,chair, Registers and shelf.

Counseling AidsCounseling AidsIntraocular lensIntraocular lensModel of EyeModel of EyePatient Education brochuresPatient Education brochuresPostersPostersLeafletsLeafletswww.laico.org\v2020resource\www.laico.org\v2020resource\

homepage.htmhomepage.htm

Monitoring Performance of Monitoring Performance of counselingcounseling

• Acceptance Rate-Acceptance Rate--Ratio of number of -Ratio of number of patients accepting cataract surgery patients accepting cataract surgery to total number advised for cataract to total number advised for cataract surgerysurgery

• Follow up RateFollow up Rate – – Ratio of number of Ratio of number of people who turn up for the follow up, people who turn up for the follow up, to total number advised for surgeryto total number advised for surgery

ConclusionConclusion

It is necessary to develop the cadre of It is necessary to develop the cadre of counsellors for the Human resource counsellors for the Human resource Development in Eye care .Through Development in Eye care .Through this way lot of barriers to utilization this way lot of barriers to utilization of eye care services can be reducedof eye care services can be reduced