The practical work of the optometrist 2: communication skills in optometry

This knowledge exchange proposal will produce and deliver a communication skills package that will benefit optometric practitioners, students, trainers and organisations. It builds on the ESRC-funded project 'Assessing Eye Sight and Ocular Health: The Practical Work of the Optometrist' that was successfully completed by the applicants in 2011. The project involved the video-recording of over 60 optometric consultations, which were then subjected to detailed scrutiny. The analysis pointed to specific and contingent circumstances arising within consultations and the communicative challenges associated with them. It explicated, for example, how patients articulate their experiences of their eyes and eye sight, and how optometric tools and technologies shape patients' participation in the consultation. The findings from the project are highly relevant to optometric practitioners; they include, for instance, observations concerning the design of different kinds of questions to elicit information from patients, the role played by tools and technologies in consultation interactions, and the alternative consequences different communicative actions can have for the progress of the encounter. Workshops and feedback seminars conducted during the project also revealed the value of using video-recorded practice as a device for professional development; having access to the recordings enabled optometrists to further their understanding of communication in the consultation and reflect on their own practices.


This knowledge exchange project, 'The Practical Work of the Optometrist 2', will use the findings from the completed ESRC project to contribute to the communication skills training and CPD of optometrists. In collaboration with our project partner, the College of Optometrists, and supported by the highly experienced optometrists in the research team, the project will develop a communication skills training package that can be adapted for the diverse needs of various stakeholders, including universities, professional organisations and practitioners. The project will involve a range of activities. Beginning with a scoping exercise designed to assess the current state of communication skills training for optometrists in the UK, it will then draw on discussion workshops with practitioners to solicit user concerns regarding communication in optometric consultations. The findings from these initial activities will inform the content and structure of a communication skills programme comprised of seminars and workshops. The experience from these seminars and workshops will be used to develop a communication skills portfolio, a physical and electronic resource pack for optometrists that will include practical findings and guidance on key themes relevant to the consultation, illustrated by video-clips provided on an accompanying DVD.

The overall communication skills package will be disseminated through professional, policy and research networks using a variety of means, such as publications in professional journals and magazines, websites of professional organisations and a colloquium that will bring together practitioners and policy makers.

This project has arisen in light of dissemination activities conducted as part of the original project. At conferences such as Optometry Tomorrow and in workshops organised as part of the project, participating optometrists frequently remarked on how relevant our observations were for their work and for the training and continued education of practitioners.

The project furthermore addresses a significant need in contemporary healthcare and adds value to communication skills training in optometry through a series of analytically and empirically informed knowledge transfer activities. As such it has very firm links to the ESRC's strategic plan: in particular it draws on evidence to identify effective interventions that lead to improved health and well being (p. 07) as well as advancing professional skills (p. 12 ). Furthermore, the sustained contact with users and beneficiaries throughout the project ensures that its impact will be maximised (p. 61).

More specifically, the project outcomes will be to the benefit of:
- Individual optometrists and student optometrists who will be provided with guidance relevant to everyday concerns of both students and qualified practitioners.
- Optometry clinics and practices will be given guidance on how to enhance their collaboration with colleagues, for example through observation and reflection activities.
- Our dissemination activities will demonstrate to professional optometry organisations and policy makers that detailed empirical research of optometric practice can be beneficial to optometrists' education and training as well as to their day-to-day work.
- Optometric patients will benefit from improved optometric service and care. The patient experience of optometric practice will be enhanced.
- The academic and research community will be provided with a case that demonstrates how an ESRC funded project can have substantial impact on professional practice.

The relevance of the project's outcomes for the optometry profession will be ensured by our partnership with the College of Optometrists. Members of the College will contribute to determine the precise content of the communication skills training programme. They will also attend and provide feedback on seminars and workshops that we will be holding as part of the project. Their feedback will be implemented in the development of the communication skills portfolio.

The project also resonates with King's College London's mission to 'create a healthy society' and to consolidate links between clinical and academic work.