Areas for improvement in community optometry: flashes and floaters take priority.

Area of Science:

• Optometry
• Healthcare Improvement
• Behavioural Science

Background:

• Rising healthcare demand necessitates expanded roles for health professionals.
• Community optometry in Scotland exemplifies service innovation and role extension.
• Ensuring quality in optometry practice presents challenges amidst change.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify priorities for practice improvement in community optometry.
• To initiate a program to inform strategies for enhancing optometry practice.
• To address the management of patients presenting with flashes and floaters.

Main Methods:

• A four-stage study involving topic prioritization, guidance review, a national survey, and intervention development.
• Utilized the Behaviour Change Wheel and Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).
• Focused on the optometrist's referral decision for patients with flashes and floaters.

Main Results:

• 'Patients presenting with flashes and floaters' identified as a key priority for practice improvement.
• The decision to refer or not refer these patients was the target behavior.
• Six TDF domains ('social influences', 'emotion', 'beliefs about capabilities', 'beliefs about consequences', 'behavioural regulation', 'reinforcement') were linked to the referral decision.

Conclusions:

• Current practices for managing patients with flashes and floaters were examined.
• Identified key targets and potential strategies for future optometry practice improvement.
• Demonstrated a flexible, theory-informed approach for developing healthcare improvement strategies.