Supporting informed choices without giving clinical advice

Optical support staff routinely help patients with practical choices such as appointment times, optional scans, lens and frame options, coatings, contact lens preferences, payment methods, collection arrangements and whether information may be shared with someone else.

Helping a patient choose is different from giving clinical advice. Support staff may explain what the practice offers, how a process works, the cost, available options and who can answer clinical questions. They must not make diagnoses, interpret clinical results, predict outcomes or decide what level of clinical risk a patient should accept.

What patients usually need for an informed practical choice

• What is proposed: the test, image, product, appointment, collection route or support task.
• Why it is offered: the general purpose, using approved wording and local scripts where available.
• Whether it is optional: especially for additional scans, private services or product extras.
• What it costs: fees, offers, eligibility checks and what is included or excluded.
• What alternatives exist: including standard options, waiting, asking a registrant or taking time to decide.
• Who can answer clinical questions: the appropriate registrant, not the support worker guessing.

Staying within role

Use clear factual wording such as, "This is an additional scan that our optometrist may use as part of the assessment. It costs this amount. Would you like more information from the optometrist before deciding?"

Avoid phrases that imply certainty or clinical judgement, for example "You need this", "It will definitely find everything" or "It is not worth doing unless you are older". Such statements can mislead and undermine voluntary consent.

If a patient asks whether a scan is clinically necessary, whether a symptom is serious, whether a contact lens option is safe, or whether refusing something could affect their sight, the support worker should pause and involve the registrant.

Support staff can explain practical options and costs. Clinical risk, diagnosis, interpretation and treatment advice belong with the appropriate registrant.