ABSTRACT
General practitioners (GP) receive limited exposure to ophthalmology during their vocational training. There is plenty of evidence that GPs lack confidence in dealing with all but minor ophthalmological problems. In Barnet, an energetic consultant ophthalmologist undertook a feasibility study of outreach to three practices. She sought to extend this with an ophthalmic medical practitioner (OMP). This chapter describes an evaluation of one model of ophthalmological outreach in terms of its impact on general practitioners, their use of secondary ophthalmological services, patients' views and costs. This chapter summarizes the comparative breakdown of costs per session. Travel costs refer to additional staff travel costs and patients' costs are not included. The practice overheads incurred from monthly clinics were negligible. Provision of services like these could be made conditional upon some form of educational exchange, possibly involving the practice nurse rather than the doctor.
