Conference: When in doubt – look again

I qualified just as there was a long-awaited review of the general policy to refer everything. I still remember the old adage, ‘when in doubt – refer’ being passed on to me, mantra-like. As sensible as this might sound, it did tend to encourage defensive behaviours in some who tended to use it as a cover to hide from any further investigation and reasoned decision as to whether a referral might be appropriate and, if so, for what purpose and with what urgency.

With the rise in independent prescribing, coincident with the need to reduce pressure upon secondary care services, I now believe that the new mantra should be ‘when in doubt, look again’. An awful lot can then be managed with good advice or with an appropriate intervention from a suitably qualified and experienced eye care professional (ECP) colleague within primary care.