RNIB Appoints Doctors.net.uk for GP Education Campaign

Oxford, United Kingdom, February 24, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) has appointed Doctors.net.uk, the UK’s largest and most active network of medical professionals, to launch its first ever online campaign especially for general practitioners.

With 50 per cent of sight loss being avoidable*, RNIB is keen to see an improvement in decision-making about eye health in day-to-day clinical practice. The five month awareness and education campaign is designed to improve GP understanding of the diagnosis, treatment and care solutions for patients with eye health problems.

The launch follows extensive research carried out by Doctors.net.uk among doctors to determine their confidence levels when dealing with eye health issues. The campaign content is based on these findings and has been tailored precisely to doctors’ needs.

Barbara McLaughlan, RNIB campaigns manager, said: "Our work has previously focused on influencing national policy or individuals' health choices, but targeting GPs effectively has been a challenge for us. Thanks to the in depth research we were able to conduct beforehand, we’ve designed a campaign which addresses the specific areas in which GPs have said they require the most help."

Simon Grime, head of healthcare communications for Doctors.net.uk, added: “Thanks to the comprehensive educational resources that have been created, this campaign will bring about a real change in the diagnosis and treatment of ophthalmic patients. We’re very pleased to be helping RNIB engage with doctors for the first time.”

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For more information:

For Doctors.net.uk

Andrew Baud
andrew.baud@talapr.co.uk
07775 715775

For RNIB

Yashoda Sutton
yashoda.sutton@rnib.org.uk
020 7391 2223

Note to editors:

About RNIB
Every day another 100 people in the UK will start to lose their sight. There are around 1.8 million people in the UK with sight problems. RNIB is the leading charity working in the UK offering practical support, advice and information for anyone with sight difficulties. If you, or someone you know, has a sight problem RNIB can help. Call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit www.rnib.org.uk.

*Future Sight Loss UK was published by the RNIB in 2009, it showed that fifty per cent of sight loss is avoidable.

About Doctors.net.uk
Doctors.net.uk is the largest and most active network of medical professionals in the UK.

Doctors.net.uk has a membership comprising the vast majority of UK doctors. Each week over 50,000 use the service making it the online resource most frequently used by doctors. The network provides extensive clinical content including online education, conference highlights, user-generated content and fora for discussion. This array of content supports doctors in making the best decisions for the care of their patients. In surveys, 97% of members of the network say that Doctors.net.uk is their most trusted source of information.

The network was created for doctors, by doctors in 1998. Some 600 doctors now act as advisers and clinical information contributors. Credibility and integrity of all published materials is assured thanks to a code of absolute transparency for all information and an experienced editorial team.

Doctors.net.uk offers capabilities above that of conventional healthcare communications.

Working with Doctors.net.uk, government and other public sector organisations are able to inform and educate large numbers of medical professionals. Campaigns are proven to be effective: for example, a programme for the NHS Institute resulted in over 20,000 doctors evaluating their clinical practise to improve quality and efficiency of care.

Research capabilities.

The Doctors.net.uk GP Omnibus surveys up to 1,000 doctors with either single or multiple questions. Results are available in just two weeks, offering an efficient and cost effective way to temperature-check GP opinion nationally and regionally.