Optometry in the multidisciplinary health care setting

A variety of health care delivery settings and models have been established in the 1980s. The multidisciplinary setting encourages comanagement and continuity of care, provides convenient consultation and communication, and is cost effective. It stimulates learning, helps to consolidate management strategies, and results in improved quality of care. Therefore, the patient and the provider both benefit from this environment. In 1978, the problem-oriented record keeping system (PORS) was implemented in the eye care service of a Boston neighborhood multidisciplinary health center. It facilitated learning, established guidelines for peer review, and improved patient care by assisting the eye care service to communicate patient problems to the other health center services effectively. We review the background of urban multidisciplinary health care settings and the PORS, as well as present several cases in which optometrists participated in patient comanagement with other health care specialists to develop a comprehensive management plan. The benefits of the multidisciplinary approach to both patients and providers are discussed.