Obstacles to shared care

In recent times, 'shared care' has been considered the way for the profession to move forward. However, I seem to be spending more time writing reports to medical colleagues, providing them with my clinical findings and getting very little back in return. For example, when we carry out diabetic screening a report must be returned to the GP indicating the health of the patient's eyes, the visual acuities, and whether further referral to a specialist is required. Would it not be helpful if a new patient, who is diabetic and is under the care of an ophthalmologist, handed us a card at the time of the examination, outlining the classification of retinopathy, medical treatment and visual outcome? Poor communication with our medical colleagues can lead to some feeling of resentment as the following case demonstrates. The local eye department contacted me to find out the postoperative refraction of the treated eye of a patient who spoke very little English, and had recently undergone cataract surgery. This was after I had spent considerable and unnecessary time paying particular attention to the untreated eye, in the patient's mistaken belief that this is what his specialist wanted before carrying out further surgery. Had the patient been handed a brief note from the hospital to give to me, informing me of its requirements, the task would have been much simpler. If this is what constitutes shared care, I would rather be without it. Michael Gatoff Bowden, Cheshire