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Abstract #26946 Published in IGR 12-4
Preliminary survey of educational support for patients prescribed ocular hypotensive therapy
TA Gray; C Fenerty; R Harper; A Lee; AF Spencer; M Campbell; DB Henson; H WatermanEye 2010; 24: 1777-1786
See also comment(s) by Paul Healey •
Purpose To establish the impact of educational support on patients' knowledge of glaucoma and adherence, in preparation for an intervention study. Methods: Structured observation encapsulated the educational support provided during clinical consultations and patient interviews captured the depth of glaucoma knowledge, problems associated with glaucoma therapy, and adherence issues. Results: One hundred and thirty-eight patients completed the study. Education was didactic in nature, limited for many patients and inconsistent across clinics. Patients showed generally poor knowledge of glaucoma with a median score of 6 (range 0–16). A significant association was found between educational support and knowledge for newly prescribed patients (Kendall's tau=0.30, P=0.003), but no association was found for follow-up patients (Kendall's tau=0.11, P=0.174). Only five (6%) patients admitted to a doctor that they did not adhere to their drop regimen, yet 75 (94%) reported at interview that they missed drops. Conclusions: Although important, knowledge alone may not sufficiently improve adherence: a patient-centred approach based on ongoing support according to need may provide a more effective solution for this patient group.
School of Biomedicine, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Classification:
11.17 Cooperation with medical therapy e.g. persistency, compliance, adherence (Part of: 11 Medical treatment)
15 Miscellaneous
