Research Topics in Ophthalmic Nursing

Ophthalmic nursing pertains to the provision of care and support to patients with eye disorders. It deals with the assessment, diagnosis, planning, intervention and evaluation of treatment to visually impaired clients. In order to deliver effective and efficient evidence-based care to meet the varying needs of patients, research is an important contributing factor, according to the standards of ophthalmic nursing.

Quality of Care

• Rosalind Stollery, et al., in "Opthalmic Nursing," state that ophthalmic nurses are accountable for the quality of care they deliver. The essence of care could be in terms of the therapeutic relationship between nurse and client, assessment of needs, implementation of patient-centered care, health education and promotion. How a nurse performs the interventions can be useful to future care plans. It can serve as a benchmark of comparisons on how these interventions should be done and how they can be further improved. This process is beneficial to the development of a standard of care to meet the optimum needs of patients.

Co-Morbidity

• More often than not, patients with eye problems may also suffer from other related and unrelated diseases. It is up to the nurse to create a plan for the care and management based on need. Co-morbidity presents a challenge to the ophthalmic nurse, reports Stollery. For instance, a patient may exhibit blindness and at the same time be diabetic. Thus, it is the nurse's responsibility to be aware of and familiar with the specific approaches to different situations. Research in co-morbidity can greatly help these health-care providers in offering effective and safe care.

Innovative Technology

• New, groundbreaking discoveries in terms of ways to care for patients emerge all the time. New equipment, techniques and procedures can facilitate faster and more accurate assessments, implementations and appraisals. They can influence how nurses carry out treatment plans and can allow for the development of better strategies. Research on technology can offer superior patient outcomes in ophthalmic nursing.

Expanded Roles

• Betty Kershaw, a respected professor in nursing, explains that ophthalmic nurses already have an extensive set of roles assigned to them. They are now executing a holistic methodology in planning care for patients. Once the work of ophthalmologists, the nurses are now doing it. Presently, they are handling the assessments, diagnosing and treatments of patients either from the emergency department or post-operation, according to protocols. Nurses are always held accountable for their actions. Therefore, an inquiry into how nurses accomplish their roles and cope with the task at hand would be a valuable tool for the improvement of ophthalmic nursing.