Innovative care models: Expanding nurses' and optometrists' roles in ophthalmology.

• Tác giả: Jemima W Allen, Charmaine Chai, Victor Teck Chang Koh, Khadijah Binte Othman, Julian Savulescu, Collin Yip Ming Tan, Yih Chung Tham, Luke Yu Xuan Yeo
• Ngôn ngữ: eng
• Thông tin xuất bản: England : Nursing ethics , 2025
• Bộ sưu tập: NCBI
• ID: 699350

Tóm tắt

The expanding demands of healthcare necessitate novel methods of increasing the supply of trained professionals to enhance the delivery of care services. One means of doing so is to expand allied health professionals' scope of practice. This paper explores the ethics of two examples of such expansion in ophthalmology, comparing the widely accepted practice of nurses administering intravitreal injections and the relatively less prevalent optometrists functioning as physician extenders. We conducted a literature review of empirical research into both practices and conclude that nurses administering intravitreal injections are ethically justified. With adequate standardized training, optometrists can also function as primary eye care providers to improve accessibility to eye care. We provide an algorithm for the ethical introduction of innovative expanded allied healthcare.