Skip to content

Three things you need to know about integrated people-centred eye care

A snapshot of key strategies, resources and learning experiences around integrated people-centred eye care.

Author: Michael Morton, IAPB Knowledge Team, August 2022

1) There are four strategies to guide action towards IPEC

Eye care in health systems guide for action coverTo move towards integrated people-centred eye care (IPEC), we need action towards four strategies:

  • Empowering and engaging people and communities
  • Reorienting the model of care towards primary care
  • Coordinating services within and across sectors
  • Creating an enabling environment.

The WHO’s Eye care in health systems: guide for action gives examples of actions we can take in each area.

Select the following four tabs to learn more.

Empowering and engaging people and communities

Actions include:

  • Integrate eye care into community health.
  • Develop eye care education programmes.
  • Identify underserved groups and regularly review equity.
  • Make services convenient and culturally safe.
  • Support outreach services.

Reorienting the model of care towards primary care

We can do this by:

  • Increasing budget for primary eye care.
  • Prioritizing human resource development for primary level care.
  • Strengthening referral systems from the primary level.
  • Using the WHO Package of Eye Care Interventions for the planning of eye care services.
  • Integrating proven mobile health (mHealth) solutions to improve communication.

Coordinating services within and across sectors

We need to strengthen coordination with:

  • education (screening, promotion)
  • labour (injury prevention, promotion)
  • the private sector (refractive and optical services)
  • neonatal services (screening)
  • child health (screening, detection, management), and
  • noncommunicable diseases (promotion, screening, diabetes, ageing).

Creating an enabling environment

Actions include:

  • Create clear governance and accountability for eye care.
  • Build technical capacity and skills in leadership and eye care.
  • Establish a strategy and targets, and a monitoring and evaluation framework.
  • Include eye care indicators into health information system.
  • Develop a competency-based approach for human resources for eye care.

2) Integration is central to IPEC

Integration within and beyond health system is a key element of IPEC. This means eye care services must be coordinated between across the different levels – from primary care in the community all the way to care provided by eye specialists in hospitals.

We need to create stronger links with general health services and beyond the health sector.

View this video to learn more.

Video Transcript

3) You can sign up for an Introduction to IPEC

Woman in an office getting her vision tested by a nurse who is pointing to a letter on a chartYou may have some further questions about IPEC. For example, how is IPEC different from previous approaches to eye care? What are the first steps to make IPEC a reality? How different will these steps be between countries?

Introduction to IPEC is a free, self-paced elearning course that references and guides you through key elements of the WHO’s Eye care in health systems: guide for action and IAPB’s Integrated People-centred Eye Care Advocacy to Action Toolkit.

You’ll start by learning more about what integrated people-centred (IPEC) is, what it aims to achieve and why it is important. Then in the final three units, you will play the role of Clara, the Country Manager for an eye health NGO. You’ll participate in meetings, initiate a policy dialogue, and help to guide your team towards a strategic plan for IPEC implementation.

Register for Introduction to IPEC at this link.