Purpose: The Queensland Children's Hospital Paediatric Optometry Alignment Program commenced with a pilot phase to assess its feasibility, effectiveness and acceptability. This study identified the barriers that hinder effective interprofessional collaboration and the facilitators that contribute to its success, and assessed changes in optometrists' satisfaction since the pilot phase of the collaborative care programme. Methods: Qualitative deductive and inductive content analysis was applied to open‐ended free‐text survey responses collected in 2018 from the optometrists involved in the Program's pilot phase. The responses were coded using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to categorise barriers and facilitators into key themes. Key behavioural determinants were mapped to the COM‐B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation‐Behaviour) elements of the Behaviour Change Wheel model to identify intervention strategies. Intervention recommendations were derived from behaviour change mapping and compared with programme quality improvement initiatives. A cross‐sectional explanatory survey informed by the TDF was conducted within the current 2023 cohort, and a longitudinal comparative analysis was carried out using data from the 2018 survey. Results: Among the 97 surveys distributed in 2018, 44 respondents participated; from this group, 38 individuals contributed a total of 200 free‐text responses. Facilitators (240 comments) outnumbered barriers (65 comments). Key facilitators were accessible and timely care, professional development, confidence and positive outcome beliefs. Barriers included communication, information handover, credibility, relationships and skill gaps. Optometrists actively engaged in the programme in 2023 reported heightened satisfaction with their involvement, increased confidence and greater engagement in paediatric eyecare delivery. However, challenges in clinical information transfer persist. Conclusion: The interprofessional collaborative model of paediatric eyecare has contributed efficiencies within the health system by building paediatric care capacity in the community, fostering professional credibility and promoting interdisciplinary trust. Insights gained should prove valuable for other paediatric eyecare services exploring hospital‐to‐community care models.

Background: To gain an understanding of the intersection of risk factors between the most prevalent eye health conditions that are associated with vision impairment and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Methods: A series of rapid reviews of reviews reporting on non-modifiable risk factors, age and sex, and modifiable risk factors, including social determinants, were conducted for five common eye health conditions that are the leading causes of vision impairment globally (refractive error including uncorrected refractive error, cataract, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy) and five prevalent NCDs (cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, dementia, and depressive disorders). Articles published within approximately 5 years to the end of 2019 were identified through expert recommendation, PubMED, Ovid Medline, the Lancet Global Burden of Disease series, the International Agency for Research on Cancer and World Cancer Research Fund. Results: Of 9,213 records identified, 320 records were eligible. Eye health conditions and NCDs share many risk factors. Increased age was found to be the most common shared risk factor, associated with increased risks of AMD, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, refractive error, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and dementia. Other shared risk factors included smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption (mixed results), and physical activity was protective, though limited evidence was found for eye conditions. Social determinants are well documented as risk factors for NCDs. Conclusion: There is substantial overlap in common established risk factors for the most frequent vision impairing eye conditions and leading NCDs. Increasing efforts should be made to integrate preventative and risk reduction interventions to improve health, with greatest shared benefits for initiatives which aim to reduce smoking, improve diet, and promote physical activity.

A gap exists between best evidence and actual clinical care provided to patients. The advent of evidence-based practice was meant to address this gap by providing practitioners with a method to search, evaluate and incorporate evidence into practice. However, the gap continues to exist. The health research fields of knowledge translation and implementation science have evolved over the last few decades to assist practitioners in embedding research findings and best evidence into routine practice. Knowledge translation seeks to improve public health outcomes by facilitating the movement of best evidence from the bench to clinical practice. Implementation science is the study of methods to integrate research findings and evidence-based practice into routine practice. This literature review aims to revisit the concepts of evidence-based practice and to introduce knowledge translation and implementation science by exploring their roles and influences in the delivery of appropriate glaucoma care by optometrists.