Decentralised clinical training in optometry: a developmental strategy for eye health in KwaZulu Natal?

摘要

BackgroundDecentralised clinical training (DCT) in optometry is an emerging concept in South Africa. In 2016, the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) implemented this adaptive model of clinical training for undergraduate health professions. The initiative, which emanated through an agreement between UKZN’s College of Health Sciences and the KwaZulu Natal Department of Health, centres on the placement of undergraduate optometry students within public health facilities for clinical training purposes. Optometry services in South Africa have, however, had a historical bias towards a private sector model of training and a curative practice approach resulting in access barriers for the rural poor and high levels of unmet need. It has further contributed to a general state of underdevelopment of eye health services within the public sector.