Optometrist Susan Ang shared her successes with maximising the GP engagement process:
“Doctors know diabetes. Often, they won’t pressure patients to go anywhere, they’ll simply ask, ‘have you got an optometrist? Go and see your optometrist.”
It has taken me 3 or 4 years to build close working relationships with the GPs in my area. I think it’s about reporting the findings. I always ask the patient, ‘would you like me to notify your doctor about this?’ Even if they weren’t referred by their doctor about headaches. And I say I would like to keep the doctor informed so I make that effort to write the letter to their doctor because I want to ensure the doctor knows I am here. I like writing reports!
GPs always love a new visual acuity chart
I always find a red eye patient is always a grateful patient, and once the GP knows us, they’ll send their husband or their children here too, so I find any patient is a good patient that comes from a doctor. I feel like they’re more compliant, especially when their doctor has sent them here. You’ve suddenly developed an area of credibility.
GPs always love a new visual acuity chart. If you can make the GP a 3 metre visual acuity chart on the bottom with your branding, they can see the value in why you’ve come to the GP clinic with a few things that they might need. I give them an eye ruler occluder, you could place your branding on these too. Then they can see reasons why you visited them. No pens! There are things that they want and need. You don’t want to come across as you’re selling anything. You’re trying to give them an access point to you.
These are quick wins. You have to know the little steps to form the relationship. It comes from doing the little things as well as the emotional aspect to it. We as optometrists don’t traditionally market as well as we could because we don’t realise the value in triggering the emotional points, which is important in building any relationship.”
