False Assumptions: What Keeps You Away from the Eye Doctor?

This week I'm in New Orleans attending the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The last time AAO was here was 2004, pre-Katrina. In 2007 less than half of the membership is here. In fact, it appears that more international members are attending. That is an enormous drop from last year's meeting in Las Vegas that hosted over 21,000 registrants.

People just make assumptions about New Orleans: there's no place to stay, the airport is still closed (incredible as it sounds, some believe that although the airport reopened right after Katrina passed through!), crime is rampant. Incorrect assumptions often lead to disastrous results. A lot of time and money was invested in this medical convention for which many folks decided to stay home.

I bring this up because a new report shows that eye doctors make lots of incorrect assumptions regarding their patients. If asked why patients fail to make/keep follow-up appointments most doctors might assume it has something to do with the expense of eye care or perhaps anxiety about the eye exam. Nonsense! The number one reason folks don't keep appointments with their eye doctor is lack of transportation. Guess what? Parking availability has a lot to do with it, too! So do things like inconvenient office hours and waiting rooms that are too cold!

It appears that patients genuinely want to receive the eye care they need. It's just that nonmedical factors create obstacles to receiving that care - very fixable obstacles.

Your local eye specialist and clinic staff are likely operating under many incorrect assumptions. Ask your eye doctor to find a vacant clinic parking space (other than the reserved doctor's space!) Ask the nurse supervisor to sit in the waiting room for 90-minutes without getting frostbite.

Assumptions find their way into every aspect of medical care. Doctors may assume the patient can't understand the specific details about their eye problem (...hello, WebMD), surgeons may assume the patient cannot hear what is being discussed in the operating room (the patients are sedated - not unconscious!), and the fatal assumption that the patient is very satisfied since they have said nothing critical.

Memo to all physicians: If you really want to know how your patient feels about something (anything) all you have to do is ask. This one time your assumption will be correct because they will tell you what's on their mind!

Remember, New Orleans International Airport is open and fully operational. Come visit soon!

REFERENCE: Karmel M: "Out of Earshot - What Patients Say About Their Eye Care." EyeNet Magazine. November 2007.

Related Topics:

• Choosing an Eye Doctor
• A Visit to the Eye Doctor

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