scholarly journals Assessment of Optometrists’ Knowledge, Skills and Practice on Cataract: A Case Study from Kisumu County, Western Kenya

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadrack Muma ◽  
Stephen Obonyo

Abstract Background: Cataract is a major contributor to avoidable blindness in the world and greatly impact negatively on the quality of life. The prevalence of blindness in Kenya is estimated at 0.7% with cataract contributing 43%. Optometrists being the primary eye care providers for cataract patients, they are well placed to assess and refer cataract patients. Though there is no data on optometrist knowledge, skill and practice on cataract in Kisumu, Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The study was conducted from June 2019 to August 219 using self-administered questionnaire. We collected basic socio-demographic characteristics and investigated participants’ knowledge, skills and practice on cataract. The primary outcome measures were the proportions of participants who identified the questions related to knowledge, skills and practice on cataract. Chi-square analysis was performed to look at the association between demographic and practice, knowledge and skills. Results: A total of 49 optometrists were interviewed with a male to female ratio of 2:1, mean age of 30.4(72%) years and mean duration of practice of one to ten years. Majority of the optometrists had good knowledge on various aspects of cataract. Like 98% had a good knowledge on the types of cataract. Based on skills, 75.5% could diagnose cataract correctly. However, 57.1% could not identify nuclear cataract. Practice among the optometrists was largely low in the sense that, 61.2% of optometrists did not screen patients aged 40 years and above for cataract. Almost half of the optometrists, 52.6% did a routine eye examination but did not know the importance of examining the crystalline lens for patient above 40 years. Conclusion The study established that despite the good level of knowledge among the optometrist on cataract, there exist gaps in skills in categorizing the type of cataract and practice. The results of this study calls for skills development training for optometrists on cataract and immediate ophthalmic division response for improvement on the scope of training for optometrists. This will eases diagnosis of cataract and its management so as to reduce its burden in Kenya.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadrack Muma ◽  
Stephen Obonyo

Abstract Background: Cataract is a major contributor to avoidable blindness in the world and greatly impact negatively on the quality of life. The prevalence of blindness in Kenya is estimated at 0.7% with cataract contributing 43%. Optometrists being the primary eye care providers for cataract patients, they are well placed to assess and refer cataract patients. Though there is no data on optometrist knowledge, skill and practice on cataract in Kisumu, Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The study was conducted from June 2019 to August 219 using self-administered questionnaire. We collected basic socio-demographic characteristics and investigated participants’ knowledge, skills and practice on cataract. The primary outcome measures were the proportions of participants who identified the questions related to knowledge, skills and practice on cataract. Chi-square analysis was performed to look at the association between demographic and practice, knowledge and skills. Results: A total of 49 optometrists were interviewed with a male to female ratio of 2:1, mean age of 30.4(72%) years and mean duration of practice of one to ten years. Majority of the optometrists had good knowledge on various aspects of cataract. Like 98% had a good knowledge on the types of cataract. Based on skills, 75.5% could diagnose cataract correctly. However, 57.1% could not identify nuclear cataract. Practice among the optometrists was largely low in the sense that, 61.2% of optometrists did not screen patients aged 40 years and above for cataract. Almost half of the optometrists, 52.6% did a routine eye examination but did not know the importance of examining the crystalline lens for patient above 40 years. Conclusion The study established that despite the good level of knowledge among the optometrist on cataract, there exist gaps in skills in categorizing the type of cataract and practice. The results of this study calls for skills development training for optometrists on cataract and immediate ophthalmic division response for improvement on the scope of training for optometrists. This will eases diagnosis of cataract and its management so as to reduce its burden in Kenya.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadrack Muma ◽  
Stephen Obonyo

Abstract Background: Cataract not only contributes to blindness which is avoidable, but also impact negatively on the quality of life. The total prevalence of blindness in Kenya is estimated at 0.7%, however cataract contributes almost half (43%) of the total blindness in Kenya. Optometrists are well placed to assess and refer cataract patients however, little is known on their skills, practice and knowledge. Therefore, this study was designed to assess optometrists’ knowledge, skill and practice on cataract in Kisumu, Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The study was conducted from June 2019 to August 219 using self-administered questionnaire. Basic socio-demographic characteristics were collected and participants’ knowledge, skills and practice on cataract investigated. The primary outcome measures were the proportions of participants who identified the questions related to knowledge, skills and practice on cataract. Chi-square analysis was performed to assess the association between demographic characteristics with practice, knowledge and skills. Results: A total of 49 optometrists were interviewed with a male to female ratio of 2:1, mean age of 30.4 years and mean duration of practice of 1-10 years. Most optometrists had good knowledge on various aspects of cataract. For example (98%) had a good knowledge on the types of cataract. Almost three quarter (75.5%) of the optometrists reported that they could diagnose cataract correctly based on skills. However, half (57.1%) of the optometrists could not identify nuclear cataract. Being a self reported practice and not observed practice, most optometrists (61.2%) reported that they do not screen patients aged 40 years and above for cataract. Almost half (52.6%) of the optometrists reported that they always do a routine eye examination but they do not know the importance of examining the crystalline lens for patient above 40 years. Conclusion The study established that despite the good level of knowledge among optometrist on cataract, there exist a gap on skills and practice. The results of this study calls for more clinical based activities among optometrists and other cadres. This will eases diagnosis of cataract and its management so as to reduce its burden in Kenya.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadrack Muma ◽  
Stephen Obonyo

Abstract Background The quality of life can be impacted negatively by blindness arising from cataract. The total prevalence of blindness in Kenya is estimated at 0.7%, however cataract contributes almost half (43%) of the total blindness in Kenya. Optometrists are well placed to assess and refer cataract patients. However, little is known on optometrists’ skills, practice and knowledge. Therefore, this study was designed to assess optometrists’ knowledge, skill and practice on cataract in Kisumu, Kenya. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used. The study was conducted from June 2019 to August 219 using self-administered questionnaire. Basic socio-demographic characteristics were collected and participants’ knowledge, skills and practice on cataract were investigated. The primary outcome measure was the proportions of participants who identified the questions related to knowledge, skills and practice on cataract. Chi-square analysis was performed to assess the association between demographic characteristics of participants with practice, knowledge and skills. Results A total of 49 optometrists with a mean age of 30.4 years and mean duration of practice of 1–10 years were interviewed. Most optometrists had good knowledge on various aspects of cataract. For example (98%) had a good knowledge on the types of cataract. Almost three quarter (75.5%) of the optometrists reported that they could diagnose cataract correctly based on skills. However, half (57.1%) of the optometrists could not identify nuclear cataract. Being a self reported practice and not an observed practice, most optometrists (61.2%) reported that they did not screen patients aged 40 years and above for cataract. Almost half (52.6%) of the optometrists reported that they did a routine eye examination however, they could not justify the significance of examining the crystalline lens for patient above 40 years. Conclusion The study established that despite the good level of knowledge among optometrist on cataract, there exist a gap on skills and practice. The results of this study calls for more clinical based activities among optometrists. This will eases diagnosis of cataract and its management with an aim to reduce the burden in Kenya.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadrack Muma ◽  
Stephen Obonyo

Abstract Background: The quality of life can be impacted negatively by blindness arising from cataract. The total prevalence of blindness in Kenya is estimated at 0.7%, however cataract contributes almost half (43%) of the total blindness in Kenya. Optometrists are well placed to assess and refer cataract patients. However, little is known on optometrists’ skills, practice and knowledge. Therefore, this study was designed to assess optometrists’ knowledge, skill and practice on cataract in Kisumu, Kenya. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used. The study was conducted from June 2019 to August 219 using self-administered questionnaire. Basic socio-demographic characteristics were collected and participants’ knowledge, skills and practice on cataract were investigated. The primary outcome measure was the proportions of participants who identified the questions related to knowledge, skills and practice on cataract. Chi-square analysis was performed to assess the association between demographic characteristics of participants with practice, knowledge and skills. Results: A total of 49 optometrists with a mean age of 30.4 years and mean duration of practice of 1-10 years were interviewed. Most optometrists had good knowledge on various aspects of cataract. For example (98%) had a good knowledge on the types of cataract. Almost three quarter (75.5%) of the optometrists reported that they could diagnose cataract correctly based on skills. However, half (57.1%) of the optometrists could not identify nuclear cataract. Being a self reported practice and not an observed practice, most optometrists (61.2%) reported that they did not screen patients aged 40 years and above for cataract. Almost half (52.6%) of the optometrists reported that they did a routine eye examination however, they could not justify the significance of examining the crystalline lens for patient above 40 years. Conclusion The study established that despite the good level of knowledge among optometrist on cataract, there exist a gap on skills and practice. The results of this study calls for more clinical based activities among optometrists. This will eases diagnosis of cataract and its management with an aim to reduce the burden in Kenya.


Author(s):  
Pritish K. Raut ◽  
Shubhada S. Avachat ◽  
Sachin Gupta ◽  
Rutuja D. Pundkar

Background: Anaemia is one of the important silent morbidity in childhood that affects the development of a child. Disabled children are more vulnerable for nutritional problems like under-nutrition or anaemia due to inadequate nutrient intake either due to feeding problems or poor feeding knowledge among care providers. However there are very few studies regarding nutritional problems of intellectually disabled. The aims of the study were to assess the nutritional status and magnitude of anaemia among mentally challenged children and to study the socio-demographic variables associated with anaemia among them.Methods: A Cross sectional study was conducted in a Day School for mentally challenged in Ahmednagar. All 45 children (Day scholars) were enrolled in the study. Data collection was done using a predesigned proforma for detail history. Anthropometric measurements and Body mass index were used for assessment of nutritional status. Haemoglobin estimation was done by using Sahali's Haemoglobinometer. The details of socioeconomic status and intelligence quotient (I.Q.) were taken from the official records of the school. Percentages, proportions and Chi square test were used for Statistical Analysis.Results: The mean age was 12.5 years, mean IQ was 37.8. More than half of the children were undernourished (64% had BMI<18.5). Mean Haemoglobin was 10.3 and 33 (73%) children were suffering from mild to moderate anaemia. Significant association was observed between degree of mental retardation and anaemia.Conclusions: Majority of mentally challenged children in our study were suffering from under nutrition and anaemia.


2021 ◽  
pp. 205343452110616
Author(s):  
Budi Yanti ◽  
Nurdarlila Armita ◽  
Iskandar Zakaria

Introduction Health workers are at high risk of contracting the disease because they are at the forefront of assisting COVID19 patients. Globally, Indonesia has the worst death toll of health workers. Many previous studies have shown the differences in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of health workers in handling with the COVID19 pandemic. This study aims to asses the role of knowledge, attitudes, and health workers' preparedness during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aceh Pidie Jaya District. Methods A cross-sectional study and the data were collected by distributing online questionnaires about knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and preparedness related to the COVID-19 at 12 Pidie Jaya District health centers. The knowledge, behavior, and preparedness parameters used Guttman and Likert scales to measure the workers' attitudes. Chi-square test was used to evaluate the relationship between knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and preparedness. Results In this study, 377 health workers were selected, the majority of respondents' education level was diploma, level 3 (257, 76.3%), and one-third of the respondents did not attend training. There are 197 (58.5%) respondents who had good knowledge, 177 (52.5%) positive attitudes, 283 (84%) good behavior, and 173 (51, 3%) well prepared. Furthermore, good knowledge, positive attitude, and good behavior had a significant correlation statistically with well prepared during the pandemic (p < 0.05). Discussion Most of the health workers in Aceh Pidie Jaya have good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good behavior that create adequate preparedness. Even though training is still very limited, educational attainment would remain the cornerstone for preparedness to encounter COVID-19.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Kh. Mohammed Almaawi

Objective: To assess CKD prevalence and risk factors including socio-demography among diabetics by estimating GFR rather than serum creatinine (sCr). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Dec. 15 2019 through Aug. 15 2020, among 800 diabetics attending tertiary diabetes centers, Baghdad. Data was collected by self-administered questionnaire. SPSS was used for data analysis by (mean, standard deviation and T-test) for quantitative variables and (frequency, percentage, Chi-square test and Kappa index) for qualitative variables. P-Value less than 0.05 was considered significant.  Results: 800 diabetics for last 5-40 years, 95.6% with type2. Aged 52.1±13.2 years, with male: female ratio 1.03:1, 63.6% were with no income, sCr level was 0.86±0.3 mg/dl, and eGFR by Cockcroft Gault (CG) and CKD-EPI equations was 100.4±36.5 & 92.2±25.5 ml/min/1.73m2 respectively. CKD prevalence based on sCr, and eGFR assessed by above equations was 13.3%, 20% and 15.9% respectively (p<0.001). Those with CKD were hypertensive, females, and living in peripheries. Conclusions: Diabetic patients, mainly those with risk factors are more likely to develop CKD. It is better to detect CKD intially by estimating the GFR, rather than serum creatinine level alone. Furthermore, using CKD-EPI equation might be better than the CG formula to estimate the GFR.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 1028-1028
Author(s):  
Bain K ◽  
Marceaux J ◽  
Kruzelock A

Abstract Objective To investigate the incremental utility of the optional MoCA Memory Index Score (MIS) for detection of cognitive impairment. Method This cross-sectional study utilized data collected from a mixed clinical sample of 153 veterans referred for clinical neuropsychological evaluations at a VA hospital. The sample was 87% male (n = 133), with an average age of 63.23 years (range 20–91) and average education level of 13.6 years (range 6–20). All participants completed the MoCA, including the MIS items. Participants meeting criteria for mild (n = 66) or major neurocognitive disorder (n = 24) were classified as cognitively impaired (CI). Sixty-three participants who did not meet criteria for a neurocognitive disorder were classified as having no cognitive impairment (NCI). Chi square analysis and logistic regression were utilized to determine the sensitivity of the MoCA total score for detection of cognitive impairment, and to determine whether the MIS significantly improved classification accuracy. Results The MoCA total score was a significant predictor of cognitive impairment status (X2 = 40.92, p &lt; .001), with 73% sensitivity, 67% specificity, and 71% classification accuracy. When the MIS was added, the model retained significance (X2 = 41.13, p &lt; .001), but overall sensitivity, specificity, and classification accuracy were unchanged; MIS was not a significant predictor in the combined model. Conclusions The optional MIS score did not significantly improve the sensitivity of the MoCA for detection of cognitive impairment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Amreen Mahmood ◽  
Vevita Blaizy ◽  
Aparajita Verma ◽  
Joel Stephen Sequeira ◽  
Dola Saha ◽  
...  

Background. Stroke is a leading cause of disability and requires continued care after hospital discharge. Mobile-based interventions are suitable to reduce the cost of stroke rehabilitation and facilitate self-management among stroke survivors. However, before attempting to use mobile-based home exercise program, it is crucial to recognize the readiness of stroke survivors and their caregivers to opt for such interventions. Objective. To assess the acceptability and attitude towards a mobile-based home exercise program among stroke survivors and their primary caregivers. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 102 participants to understand their attitude and acceptability towards mobile-based home exercise program. A validated 10-item questionnaire was adapted for the study. The questions which assessed the attitude were rated on a three-point Likert scale, with three denoting agree and one denoting disagree. The acceptability was assessed by their willingness to opt for a mobile-based home program services. A Chi-square analysis and cross-tabulation were performed to test differences between caregivers and patients. A logistic regression was performed to determine the effects of age, gender, and mobile phone on acceptability. Results. Ninety-two percent of caregivers and 90% of patients showed willingness to opt for mobile-based intervention. Majority of the participants showed a positive attitude towards this mode of treatment. There was no difference in the attitude noted among caregivers and patients (p>0.05) towards mobile-based intervention. Conclusion. The stroke survivors and caregivers welcomed the concept of mobile-based home exercise program even in a low-resource settings, but further studies to understand treatment and cost-effectiveness of this technology among the stroke survivors would lead to better implementation.


Author(s):  
Kushalata Baral ◽  
Maginsh Dahal ◽  
Shreya Shrestha ◽  
Anup Adhikari

Background: Self-medication is defined as the use of medicines to treat self-recognized or self-diagnosed conditions or symptoms, instead of seeking advice from professionals. Aim: Our study was aimed to assess knowledge, attitude and practice of self-medication among undergraduates in different colleges of Kathmandu valley. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among undergraduates of Kathmandu valley. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to students in 4 different colleges. Chi-square test was used to determine statistical significance. Likert’s scale was used to measure attitude. Results: 240 students participated in this study. Totally, (92.9%) students had known and taken medicine without doctor’s prescription. More than half of the participants (56.6%) had good knowledge on self-medication and nearly three quarter (74.7%) of the respondents had a positive attitude regarding self-medication. Fever, cough/cold and aches/pain were the most common symptoms for self-medication, thus making antipyretics and analgesics the most popular self-medication drugs. Pharmacists and family were the major source of information regarding self-medication. Conclusion: Based on the findings, the prevalence of self-medication was high (94.9%). Majority respondents had good knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of self-medication but still practiced it.


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