Care to share?

It is reassuring to learn that the Bristol shared care glaucoma study, reported in the May issue of theBJO,1 confirms that the clinical outcome for patients followed up by community optometrists is similar to that for those who remained in the conventional hospital eye clinic. That should not surprise us because we know from many years of experience sharing patient care with optometrists, orthoptists, and nurse specialists, that our colleagues in these professions can be relied on to work with precision and integrity. The General Medical Council distinguishes delegation from referral.2 Shared care schemes3 are examples of delegation where the medical practitioner, in this case the ophthalmologist, remains responsible for the overall management of the patient and has a duty to ensure that the optometrist is suitably trained and qualified …