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Patient-doctor interactions | |
Be more courteous, patient, and understanding | |
Explain things clearly and in nondoctor terms | |
Follow up with patients in between visits | |
Always explain the problem, treatment plan, and options; patients want to feel a part of their care | |
Cost/insurance | |
Create more eye care clinics for low-income people | |
Make eye examinations part of yearly physical for insurance purposes | |
Offer in-house financing or payment plans | |
Offer mail-in rebates after eye examinations | |
Offer more treatment options/programs to assist with purchasing eye glasses | |
Increase number of free vision screenings in underserved communities | |
Accessibility | |
Develop satellite clinics of larger hospitals in underserved communities | |
Have doctors from larger hospitals practice in already established facilities in underserved communities once or twice a week | |
Provide incentives for eye care providers to practice in underserved communities | |
Have mobile units for eye care | |
Notify local board of supervisors of need for more eye care providers in community | |
Volunteer transportation in community | |
Education/knowledge of eye care importance | |
Monthly mailings on eye care education | |
Create eye disease prevention week with daily postal mailings (modeled after fire prevention week) | |
Use department of social services and churches as focal points for educational interventions | |
More educational seminars in the community led by providers or students | |
Create community eye care awareness groups run by members of the community | |
Use various forms of media (newspaper, radio, or television) to increase eye care awareness | |
Use marquees on local businesses to increase awareness | |
Community/social support | |
Implement eye care “buddy system” | |
Get family members to encourage each other about importance of eye care | |
Set up community committees/organizations for eye care issues | |
Service at clinic | |
Find better way to schedule patients to decrease waiting time | |
Train all personnel to treat patients courteously | |
Government | |
Make lawmakers and political candidates more aware of the problems with receiving eye care | |
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