How to encourage patients to come for the eye services they need

eye care services involves raising awareness about eye care in general, raising awareness about the existence and benefits of a particular eye clinic or hospital, and being clear about the costs involved. People in the community may be unaware of the existence of eye care services; they may also think that they do not need the services, or that they will not be able to afford the treatments. People may fear eye surgery; they may also believe that some eye disorders cannot be prevented or cured. There are many established ways of addressing misconceptions and lack of information in the community. Increasing people's awareness about eye care is necessary, but not enough: we also want them to come to our eye centre, hospital, or clinic to get the eye care they need. If we want to successfully change people's behaviour, we must understand who we are trying to reach (see page 22): • BLOCKINWhat do they already know? • BLOCKINWhat opinions do they hold about eye care and related issues, such as eye care for older people or women? • BLOCKINWhat motivates them? What is important to them? • BLOCKINWho has influence with this community? This information can help us to design a programme of information, education, and communication (IEC) activities aimed at convincing people to change their own health behaviour and make use of the health services we offer. When these activities take the form of advertising campaigns, this is known as 'social marketing'. Being successful at IEC or social marketing does not always require a lot of money. It does, however, require careful thought and planning. Here are a few ideas and suggestions for all your communication activities. 1 Posters and promotional materials. If you want to create posters, make sure they are appropriate for the community you want to reach and that the language and pictures communicate the right messages. Think: who are you trying to reach? What motivates them? Who do they respect? It is always advisable to test the posters fi rst by showing them to people from the community you are trying to reach. Ask them what they think the posters mean, and try to determine whether they feel more motivated to change their behaviour after seeing the posters. Think about where people are most likely to see the posters – for example at bus stops, near shops, or in community centres. Ask for …