1、Julie Grutzmacher,MSW,MPHDirector of Patient Advocacy&Population Health Initiatives Overview of Prevent Blindness Issue Brief Vision Loss and Mental Health:Key Takeaways from an Interprofessional Task ForceSESSION 2:Why the Eye:Forum on the Public Health Connection Between Mental Wellness and Vision
2、 Mental Health(WHO)“Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities,can cope with the normal stresses of life,can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.”The Prevent Blindness Mental Health Task Force Hatched from
3、the ASPECT program Comprised of about 20 individuals,including patients with a variety of eye conditions,parents,ophthalmologists,optometrists,peer counselors,psychologists,social workers,and vision rehabilitation specialists.Four focus group meetings conducted in June 2022 Issue Brief,published in
4、June 2023,summarizes the findings and is geared towards policy makers,providers,professionals,and program personnel.Focus group questions Questions for first meeting:1)In what ways does vision loss affect mental health?2)What gets in the way of providers asking patients,with vision impairment,about
5、their mental health?What are the barriers?Question for second meeting:1)From your perspective,what are the top 2-3 things providers could do to help reduce psychological distress among patients with vision lossa.At time of diagnosisb.Beyond diagnosisc.What resources would be helpful for providers to
6、 know about?d.How can a referral to low vision therapy improve a patients mental health?e.How can a mental health or psychiatric referral be helpful?f.How might incorporating a 2-question depression screening tool into the electronic health record be helpful?Focus group questions Questions for third