A t the Optician Awards, there can only be one winner in each category which means there is a longer list of people who have not won than there are with trophies proudly displayed in practice.
‘Being a finalist is an amazing experience,’ Dr Rohit Narayan tells Optician. This year, he thought about how he could keep improving the patient experience he provides and evidence that he was doing something unique on his nomination form.
After attending several Optician Awards with his wife, Narayan finally heard his name announced as a winner in the Optometrist of the Year category. Unfortunately, the time his wife was not able to attend was the night he won.
‘Attending an awards ceremony is something special. You get to interact with others who share the same passion about patient care. Everyone deserves the award because they’re all doing that little bit extra and they care passionately about patients. We offer our own unique brand of patient care, but those that succeed do that little bit extra and hone in on certain things. It doesn’t mean you’ve got to possess a huge array of kit either. It could be about the behaviours of your team or yourself as a clinician and how you make patients feel,’ Narayan explains.
Engaging with patients
He says to win was a surreal experience. ‘I think the first words out of my mouth were of disbelief, “Really? You’re joking!” It was wonderful to be recognised this time round in such an amazing venue. It was lovely to hear the comments from the judging panel regarding my submission about feeling that this is the blueprint for how optometry should be in the future.’
But Narayan believes this is achievable now. ‘Clinicians have the skillset and experience to be doing more for our patients, beyond purely the refractive element. Sometimes, there are barriers to that depending on your modality of practice but you can still make a huge impact on someone’s health and wellbeing,’ he says.
Narayan thinks what set him apart this year was his rigorous focus on preventative care, as well as recognising that the history and symptoms part of the consultation is key. He explains his approach is about talking to patients, gaining an understanding of what their visual requirements are and what their current lifestyle involves.
‘You can only do that by having a conversation with your patient and being engaged in what they say, giving them the time, getting to know them, building up rapport. None of it is rocket science; never has been and never will be,’ he says.
Link to the eyes
During his conversation, Narayan strives to identify not only the patient’s reason for visiting, but risk factors that could influence their systemic eye health issues. His clinical examination is guided heavily by this conversational approach. He adds that what is good for a patient’s general health is often good for their ocular health. ‘I feel it is our duty as healthcare providers to discuss the systemic and ocular benefits of good lifestyle behaviours, such as maintaining a healthy weight, incorporating appropriate diet and nutrition awareness in conjunction with exercise.’ The role of inflammation is something that Narayan also discusses. ‘Acute inflammation tackles infections, speeds up the healing process and is generally desirable as it protects the body. Chronic inflammation is what you don’t want, including being associated with a plethora of chronic illnesses, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, bowel disease, cancer as well as certain eye diseases.’
Educating patients about their general health and helping them understand the link to their eyes is what Narayan loves to do. He tells them a story that starts from taking the patient’s history and symptoms through to the eye exam, then his findings and culminates in recommendations, which benefits the patient holistically as well as the practice.
‘Everything flows and starts at the front of the practice with staff asking a few questions and it carries through to the exam room. I want the patient’s experience of great care to start right at the front of house because they’re the first port of call and the last port of call that patients will see. The staff, I think, are the unsung heroes because it is a team effort.’