Eyeworld

EW FEATURE 42 Patient satisfaction • December 2015 AT A GLANCE by Ellen Stodola EyeWorld Staff Writer • It's important to discuss with patients prior to surgery what their vision goals are so they are aware of the procedure and what realistic expectations should be. • Different lenses and treatment options may deliver different levels of patient satisfaction, so it's important to customize treatment to each individual patient. • Using patient questionnaires can help track all aspects of the patient experience. better alternatives become available. "I am very optimistic about future refractive cataract surgery with our growing number of options," he said. "I will keep trying and testing each new modality, but I will keep what I think is best as the core of my practice." Patient questionnaires Questionnaires offer a way for patients to leave feedback on all aspects of their medical experience. These can cover everything from the doctors, nurses, and other staff they interact with to wait time. Randall J. Olson, MD, chair, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, discussed the way that patient questionnaires can play into overall patient satisfaction. He has direct experience with these questionnaires working at the Moran Eye Center and the University of Utah Health Care department. monovision can make a patient very happy," he said. "Compromised ste- reovision is the main downside, but it hardly has any noticeable negative impact on patients in real life." Improving patient satisfaction Fully understanding patients' prefer- ences, lifestyle, and needs and then customizing the procedure to help patients achieve their vision goals are key to improved satisfaction, Dr. Zhang said. "Underpromising and overdelivering is also very important," he said. "Being able to save out-of-pocket money but still achieve that goal without many side effects typically will make patients even happier." Dr. Zhang said that for the future, he's looking for a "reliable, solid accommodating IOL." He thinks that the older premium IOLs and treatment modalities will gradually fade away as newer and If Dr. Zhang has a patient whose goal is to eliminate or decrease spec- tacle dependence, he chooses mono- vision. "They tend to be very happy once the cloudy cataract is gone and do not have to use glasses at all or only need them occasionally," he said. It's also important to fully ex- plain to the patient that the distance vision of the near eye will not be as good as that of the distance eye, he said. "That is the most common comment if I do not fully discuss it at the decision-making office visit." Dr. Zhang occasionally uses multi- focal IOLs, but he limits their use to those who do not like the monovi- sion idea and do not drive much at night but still demand no glasses for far and near as their priority goal. The choice to use IOL monovi- sion for most of his refractive cata- ract surgeries is something that Dr. Zhang has determined after many years in practice. "Well-done IOL Tackling patient satisfaction How physicians measure this in their practices T here are a number of ways that patient satisfaction can be measured in a practice, making the topic a hard one to sum up neatly. Satis- faction can be measured by concrete results and targets met, but factors like the overall patient experience can also play in, making the issue of patient satisfaction both a subjective matter and an objective one. Satisfaction and different IOL types Determining satisfaction in patients may relate to the type of procedure being done, as well as the products being used. Fuxiang Zhang, MD, medical director, Downriver OptimEyes Super Vision Center, Taylor, Mich., said that in his practice, he absolutely sees different levels of patient satisfaction depend- ing on the IOL being used. "Most of my patients are not interested in or not able to afford premium IOLs and refractive cataract surgery," he said. "So they do not demand to be spectacle free." Patients tell Dr. Zhang about their preferences, lifestyles, and hobbies so that he is able to best meet their needs. "This customization works very well to make patients happy, and I highly recommend it," he said.

• Cover