The use of a travelling ophthalmic technologist in a remote, sparsely populated region

An attempt has been made to meet the ophthalmological needs of the population of the 500,000 square mile Mackenzie Zone of the Canadian Northwest Territories by the use of a well trained ophtalmic technologist who travels to each of the small, widely separated communities. He carries out the necessary refractions and screens patients selected by the local nurses for ocular disease and/or motility problems for referral to the ophtalmologist in charge. Patients requiring treatment or further investigation are referred to the supervising ophtalmologist who will provide instructions by phone or radio, will see them on a subsequent visit, or if indicated, will have them evacuated to the well equipped treatment centre in Yellowknife. Some of the advantages of this programme are as follows: 1. Communities are visited on a regular schedule with reasonable frequency by the same personnel. 2. The skills and training of the ophthalmologist are more effectively used by enabling him to spend most of his time at the centre where adequate medical and surgical facilities are available. 3. Standardized, centralized records are kept which are identical to those in patient's home community. It is suggested that the use of well-trained paramedical personnel may be of significant value in the provision of adequate medical care to widely dispersed population groups in the far north.