1:30min
By Rhiannon Riches
Assistant Editor
An article targetting nurses explains optometry’s role in the diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes.
The article featured in the Spring issue of the primary care nursing profession’s quarterly research and news publication, Primary Times.
Optometry Australia national clinical policy adviser Simon Hanna wrote the double-page feature titled ‘Vision loss and blindness from diabetes: Prevention opportunities in primary care nursing’.
Mr Hanna said the contribution to Primary Times developed from Optometry Australia’s Professional Partnerships campaign.
‘It came about as we sought to engage with the Australian Primary Health Care Nurses Association (APNA) to collaborate with it on our Professional Partnerships campaign. We approached it to talk about opportunities to broaden our reach and engagement with other areas of the health sector including practice nurses,’ he said.
Mr Hanna said CEO Genevieve Quilty and he met with APNA CEO David Malone and discussed opportunities for inter-professional collaboration.
‘We mutually agreed on us having a spot at their national conference in May 2016 and an opportunity to contribute editorial to their quarterly publication. We received great verbal feedback from the conference workshop that this was exactly the sort of area and level of information that nurses were looking for to take back to their practices,’ Mr Hanna said.
Mr Hanna said there might be further opportunities to contribute articles to Primary Times.