Rotterdam Eye Hospital exchanges knowledge with Paris Eye Hospital
On Friday 2 June, a delegation from l’Hôpital national de la Vison 15-20 (an eye hospital from Paris), visited The Eyehospital Rotterdam. The purpose of the visit was to compare practices, structure and strategy and see where we, as eye hospitals in Europe, can learn from each other.
The Paris eye hospital recently joined the World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH) as a member, where global knowledge sharing has been prominent on the agenda for some time.
Yvonne Koppelman, chairman board of directors of The Eyehospital, together with Farand Laghaei, secretary board of directors, opened the programme with an introduction about Het Oogziekenhuis Rotterdam.
In addition, “15-20” gave a presentation about their hospital, giving more insight into their working methods, structure and strategy. The name 15-20 (pronounced quinze-vingts), meaning three hundred (15 × 20 = 300), refers to the number of beds in the hospital.
Paris Eye Hospital visits Rotterdam
Maaike van Zuilen also spoke on behalf of the World Association of Eye Hospitals (WAEH) about the WAEH itself, its members, communities of practice and the upcoming annual meeting in Melbourne and Sydney.
After the introduction, Jacob Boogaard, ophthalmologist in training (AIOS), gave a presentation on the patient’s journey within the hospital. They discussed the different stages of treatment and care, and how different departments work together to provide the best care. After the presentation, French was given a guided tour to get a better idea of the practical implementation in the Acute Eye Care Department.
After the tour, Bart Zijlmans, ophthalmologist, gave a presentation on refractive surgery and cataract treatment in Rotterdam. He shared the latest techniques and developments in this field. Participants were given a tour of the Day Centre, where they could see the facilities and later attend an operation with great interest.
Sonia Manning, ophthalmologist, gave a lunchtime presentation on her research on the medical outcome indicators Primary Retinal Detachment, which she conducted as part of the WAEH. A talk was also given by Jacomijn Gussenhoven, Quality & Safety team leader, on outcomes-based care and patient participation.
In the afternoon, a tour of various departments and a visit to the Rotterdam Ophthalmological Institute (ROI) of the eyehospital, where scientific research takes place, was planned. Here, Susan Marinissen, research institute manager, gave a presentation on research in general, the relationship between ROI and the academy, fundamental research and the integration of care and research (and the role of orthoptists and nurses in it).
It was an informative afternoon that calls for a follow-up in Paris. After all, sharing knowledge is the way to help patients worldwide to (continue to) see better.
