The situation of low vision services in Papua New Guinea: an exploratory study

Marella, Manjula; Yu, Mitasha; Paudel, Prakash; Michael, Alois; Ryan, Kevin; Yasmin, Sumrana; Minto, Hasan

doi:10.1111/cxo.12446

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…This is consistent with other studies which found transportation challenges as a common barrier to accessing services [ 14 , 16 , 27 , 28 ]. Less than one-third of the patients perceived the cost of LVR services as a barrier, a barrier relatively unique to the population of the United States and therefore addressed in a few studies [ 20 , 23 , 24 ]. Interestingly, a global survey on low-vision service provision found both cost and distance to the nearest LVR service to be more common barriers in developing countries [ 22 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to Low-Vision Rehabilitation Services for Visually Impaired Patients in a Multidisciplinary Ophthalmology Outpatient Practice

Khimani

Battle

Malaya

et al. 2021

Journal of Ophthalmology

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Low-vision rehabilitation (LVR) has significant benefit in improving the quality of life of visually impaired patients. However, these services are highly underutilized in ophthalmology practices. A quality improvement study was performed to investigate barriers to LVR services for patients at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) between 2010 and 2020. Low vision was defined as the best corrected visual acuity of 20/70 or worse in the better-seeing eye or a visual field less than 20 degrees. Potential subjects were screened (n = 577) from the electronic medical record using International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes for legal blindness, impaired vision, and low vision. Chart review identified 190 subjects who met criteria for low-vision analysis. Patients who received LVR referrals to attend at least one LVR service visit from the eligible subjects were contacted for participation in phone interviews regarding their LVR experience. Practicing eye care providers (ECPs) at UTMB completed a questionnaire to capture their referral patterns. Of the eligible subjects, 64% were referred to LVR services by ECPs. Reported patient barriers included mental health issues (76%), denial of need for low-vision aid (71%), poor physical health (67%), lack of transportation (57.1%), and lack of referrals (36%). EPCs reported patient’s overall health (67%), older age (44%), lack of social support (44%), poor cognitive function (44%), and low likelihood of follow-up (44%) as barriers to referring patients to LVR. This study identified several modifiable barriers that can be addressed to access LVR services for low-vision patients. Changing referral patterns, eliminating variations in referral criteria, and increasing patient awareness and knowledge of LVR resources may tremendously improve the quality of life of low-vision patients.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to Low-Vision Rehabilitation Services for Visually Impaired Patients in a Multidisciplinary Ophthalmology Outpatient Practice

Khimani

Battle

Malaya

et al. 2021

Journal of Ophthalmology

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“…Marella and colleagues evaluated low vision services in Papua New Guinea[27]. They described knowledge of the community and partnered with the community to explore the needs of those with low vision and the public perception of those with low vision.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Systematic review of community-engaged research in ophthalmology

Nwanyanwu

Nardini

Shaughness

et al. 2017

Expert Review of Ophthalmology

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Introduction Community-engaged research (CEnR) allows researchers and community organizations to partner together to improve health outcomes and to decrease health disparities. While prevalent in other fields of medicine, it is rarely used in ophthalmology. Areas covered A comprehensive search of Ovid MEDLINE, NLM Pubmed, Ovid Embase, Scopus and the Cochrane Library for the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) “Community-based participatory research” and text word variations including participatory research, community engagement, community research, partnered research, community-institutional relations, CENR, CBPR in addition to variations on ophthalmology, eye diseases, vision disorders and eye injuries yielded 451 unique references. Two ophthalmologists (KN, PANC) reviewed the titles and abstracts and identified 37 relevant studies. Expert consultation yielded an additional reference. After reviewing the full texts and excluding non-English texts, 18 articles met the necessary criteria. The eighteen articles all utilized at least one of the nine principles of CEnR. Expert commentary Ophthalmology is perfectly positioned to benefit from CEnR. Increased community engagement in ophthalmic research would expand the reach of our work and address some of the most difficult problems in vision disparities and outcomes.

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“…Similar arrangements have been observed in most South Asian countries [ 11 ]. In other island nations, such as Papua New Guinea, refractionists and optometrists provide refraction services [ 12 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A situational analysis of clinical refraction services in the capital city of the Maldives

Mohamed¹,

Omar²

2022

Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Ophthalmol

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Background: Uncorrected refractive error is a leading cause of visual impairment globally. This study aimed to determine the current state of clinical refraction services and barriers to service provision in the capital city of the Maldives. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study used a purposive sampling technique. The list of facilities providing refraction services in the city of Malé was compiled through a desk review and finalized after verification by personnel from the Ministry of Health. The availability of human resources and infrastructure was measured using a pre-coded questionnaire that also listed barriers to service provision, followed by on-site observations and subsequent data analysis. Results: Three clinical ophthalmology departments within hospitals, two ophthalmology hospitals, and nine primary eye care centers were selected for this study. The private sector (n = 12, 85.7%) was the primary provider of refractive error services. All facilities possessed the essential equipment required for refraction. Only optometrists and ophthalmologists conducted refraction. Contact lens assessment and low vision services were not available at any facility. The number of refractions conducted in Malé annually was 145,392. Human resources and management-related factors were the major barriers to the provision of clinical refraction services (n = 21, 44.7%). Conclusions: Accessibility to refractive error management and low vision services is needed in Malé to meet current population needs. Existing resources, including humans and equipment, require augmentation regarding service provision and enhancement. Knowledge of these barriers could lead to the upscaling of refraction services in Malé, Maldives by health policy makers.

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The situation of low vision services in Papua New Guinea: an exploratory study

Abstract: This study has identified barriers from the perspectives of different stakeholders, including service providers and people with low vision and their families. Knowledge of these barriers can now guide the development of future low vision services in PNG.

Cited by 6 publications

References 18 publications

Barriers to Low-Vision Rehabilitation Services for Visually Impaired Patients in a Multidisciplinary Ophthalmology Outpatient Practice

Barriers to Low-Vision Rehabilitation Services for Visually Impaired Patients in a Multidisciplinary Ophthalmology Outpatient Practice

Systematic review of community-engaged research in ophthalmology

A situational analysis of clinical refraction services in the capital city of the Maldives

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