Three new Ophthalmic Services Guidance Chapters
7 February 2017
The RCOphth aims to set standards in all aspects of the delivery of ophthalmic care in the interests of patients and the public.
Three new guidance chapters have recently been updated and added to our standards publications; the guidance is intended to inform both ophthalmologists and those managing eye services.
The updated chapters are:
Clinical Audit and Clinical Effectiveness in Ophthalmology
- This document aims to provide a simple overview of the principles and practice of clinical effectiveness and clinical audit for ophthalmologists, and should be read in conjunction with the College publication Quality, safety and clinical governance in ophthalmology: an overview.
Ophthalmic Instrument Decontamination
- The effective decontamination of re-usable surgical instruments (or other clinical devices used in direct contact with tissues) is essential in minimising the risk of infectious agents.
- Ophthalmic imaging is essential to the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term monitoring of many ocular conditions. This document provides an overview of the current state of commercially-available ophthalmic imaging technologies and their clinical applications as things stand at the time of publication and readers should note this is a rapidly changing field. It also provides recommendations regarding minimum ophthalmic imaging requirements for hospital eye services. Finally, it touches on a number of important issues related to ophthalmic imaging, including information technology and information governance requirements, and the need for valid informed consent.
To view other Ophthalmic Services Guidance Chapters, please click here.