September 13, 2023: To strengthen the patient counseling infrastructure, Orbis, an international non-profit working towards the prevention and treatment of avoidable blindness, established a regional training center at its partner hospital PBMA’s H.V. Desai Eye Hospital, Pune on 11 September 2023. This strategic move aims to fortify the patient counseling infrastructure, ultimately elevating the quality of care being provided. Supported by the Foundation for Health and Mind Development, the regional training center will serve as a hub for offering courses and regular training programs on patient counseling and education for other hospitals in the western region of India. Patient counseling and education play a vital role in comprehensive medical and surgical treatment management.
The inauguration ceremony witnessed distinguished dignitaries, with Kenneth Youngstein, Founder of Foundation for Health and Mind Development, as the Chief Guest, and Rosemarie Barthelot, Regional HR Partner-Asia at Orbis, graced the occasion as the Guest of Honor.
Dr Rishi Raj Borah, Country Director – India, Orbis said, “Patient counselling is essential empower the patients and their families with to make informed decisions about their health and treatment. Effective patient counseling not only builds trust but also results in greater patient compliance.”
Speaking on the importance of patient counseling, Kenneth Youngstein, Founder, Foundation for Health and Mind Development, said, “It is only natural for a person to have their share of uncertainty and fear before opting for any surgical intervention or medical treatment. This is where communication between a counselor, the patient, and the patient’s family plays a critical role. This counseling will encompass identifying and addressing patient concerns, possible risks, benefits, or any complications associated with the medical intervention. Patient counseling makes traversing the whole treatment process easy for the patient and the family and ensures the best outcome.”
Rosemarie Barthelot, Regional HR Partner– Asia, Orbis said, “Through comprehensive training, we aim to equip healthcare professionals with the skills they need to provide compassionate and empathetic patient counseling and institutionalize the processes by inviting management and leadership buy-in.”
Dr. Kuldeep Dole, Medical Director, PBMA’s H.V. Desai Eye Hospital said, “Besides strengthening the counseling department of our hospital, this initiative will bolster the patient-doctor relationship as well. The move will ensure that patients, in addition, to receiving medical care, will be lent an empathetic ear to address and assuage any issues pertinent to treatment. This will lead to achieving greater patient satisfaction. The approach offers a win-win situation: while patient counseling gives the patients an assurance of being in safe hands, the hospital will be able to track its development as an institution through metrics such as surgical conversion rate, compliance to follow–up, reduction in patient drop-out rates, among others.”
As part of the Orbis initiative, the counseling and waiting room areas of the PBMA’s H.V. Desai Eye Hospital have been refurbished to create a positive environment for counseling. The training involves structured courses and curriculum on patient counseling and education with a mix of in-person and online sessions. Counselors will be trained to simplify medical jargon while discussing eye conditions with patients and their families and equipping them to with the knowledge to make decisions about their health and treatment plans.
