scholarly journals Challenges of Eye Health Care in Children and Strategies to Improve Treatment Uptake: A Qualitative Study from the Perspective of Eye Care Professionals in the UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 96-104
Author(s):  
Viola Cassetti ◽  
Tom Sanders ◽  
Alison Bruce
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Improve Treatment ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Treatment Uptake ◽  
The Uk

Developing Services for Schizophrenia in Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
M. Agius ◽  
M. Blinc-Pesek ◽  
S. Ivezic ◽  
S. Martic-Biocina ◽  
V. Svab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Early Detection ◽  
Case Management ◽  
Group Interventions ◽  
Chronic Patients ◽  
Prodromal Phase ◽  
Improve Treatment ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Further Development

Along the coast of the Adriatic, several small projects have developed to improve treatment of patients with Schizophrenia. All these projects have benefited from links with the Department of Psychiatry in Cambridge.In Ljubljana, The Ljubljana Prodrome Project has developed a system of early intervention and treatment which has a strong research arm. It has contributed knowledge about how psychosis develops, and shown that treatment in the prodromal phase of illness gives patients significant advantages.The Assertive Outreach Team in Ljubljana Psychiatric Hospital has reduced readmissions for the chronic patients it deals with. Case Management in the Community has also been established at Vrapce Hospital Zagreb, where there has also been established a ward for first episodes of Psychosis. Non Governmental Organisations have been working with patients and their families in Central Croatia, using group interventions for carers.In Sarajevo, one doctor is working with identifying psychosis early.All of these projects are successful and amount to a major contribution in improving treatment for schizophrenia for patients in these countries.Staff from Croatia and Slovenia have visited the UK to learn Early Detection and Intervention techniques and case management.Further development nationally of these techniques for delivery of Mental Health Care in the Community is now awaited.

‘Structural Interests’ in Health Care: Evidence from the Contemporary National Health Service

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATH CHECKLAND ◽  
STEPHEN HARRISON ◽  
ANNA COLEMAN
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
National Health ◽  
The World ◽  
The Uk

AbstractAlford's theory of structural interests has been used as a framework within which to analyse health systems across the world. However, authors have often been uncritical in their acceptance of Alford's original analytic categories. In this article we use data from a detailed qualitative study of the introduction of Practice Based Commissioning in the UK NHS to interrogate Alford's work more critically. Disrupting Alford's original categories of ‘professional monopolisers’ as dominant interests, challenged by management ‘corporate rationalisers’, we suggest that the new structures established in the NHS since 2002 systematically privilege an interest that we call ‘corporate monopolisers’, and that this is under challenge from ‘professional rationalisers’.

scholarly journals Evaluating Eye Health Care Services Progress Towards VISION 2020 Goals in Gurage Zone, Ethiopia.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiliksew Teshome ◽  
Omar Salamanca ◽  
Alana Calise ◽  
Jibat Gemida Soboka
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Human Resources ◽  
Catchment Area ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Vision 2020 ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Primary Eye Care ◽  
Eye Health

Abstract Background Ethiopia signed the VISION 2020 Global Declaration and launched its eye health program in 2002. Since then, there has been limited systematic and comprehensive evaluation of the progress towards VISION 2020 goals in Ethiopia.Purpose To evaluate Gurage Zone progress towards VISION 2020 targets and process indicators.Method An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among all public and private eye health care facilities in the Gurage Zone within the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People Region of Ethiopia. The evaluation protocol was adopted from the VISION 2020 situational analysis data collection tool. We used this structure to evaluate progress in terms of human resources, infrastructure, and service delivery at the Zonal Health Office and facility level.Result At the time of the study, the Gurage Zone had a 1.7 million catchment area population. There was a total of five eye care centers, of which one was established by a Non-Governmental Organization. Three of these facilities were secondary eye care centers with an operating theater and two of them were primary eye care centers. At the zonal level, there is no survey data available on the prevalence of blindness. There was no systemic evaluation of VISION 2020 process indicators. The budget allocation specific to eye health care was less than 0.7% of the total budget of the office. The human resources for eye health in the catchment area were: one ophthalmologist, two cataract surgeons, five optometrists, and 12 ophthalmic nurses, which is below the VISION 2020 targets for human resources for eye health. In terms of equipment, neither primary eye care center had a slit lamp biomicroscope, and two of the three secondary eye care centers did not have intraocular pressure (IOP) measuring equipment. Only one secondary eye care center was providing glaucoma surgical services, and no center provided either emergency or elective pediatric surgery. The cataract surgical rate (CSR) determined by the study was 1967.ConclusionGurage Zone had not achieved VISION 2020 goals in terms of critical human resources and service delivery. We recommend that the Zonal Health Office carries out a focused and baseline evaluation of eye health care service achievements.

scholarly journals Barriers and incentives for conducting research amongst the Ophthalmologists in Sub-Sahara Africa

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazim A Dhalla ◽  
Micheal Guirguis
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Vision 2020 ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Research Knowledge ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
The Right ◽  
Preventable Blindness

AbstractBackgroundResearch is a critical component amongst the strategies to improve health outcomes of any country. The role of research assumes greater importance in Africa as it carries a larger share of global burden of diseases, blindness and low vision. “Vision 2020- the Right to Sight” is a WHO-IAPB collaborated initiative aiming to eliminate preventable blindness by the year 2020. High quality research in eye care is imperative for the initiative to succeed, however, there is a dearth of research in eye care in sub Saharan Africa in general and specifically in the Eastern, Central and Southern African (ECSA) region. Identifying the barriers that hamper research in this region is an important step towards elimination of preventable blindness.MethodsA structured questionnaire using the SurveyMonkey program was sent to ophthalmologists in the ECSA region and South Africa through their respective regional professional bodies. Data was analyzed using the SPSS program version.ResultsLack of funding, inadequate time and poor research knowledge were the main research barriers while ability to improve eye health care through research was the main incentive for conducting research.ConclusionThe barriers mainly center on financial, human and administrative infrastructure and resources. In spite of the barriers, ophthalmologists in the study region are enthusiastic in research aiming to increase evidence based knowledge to improve eye health care in line with the goals of “Vision 2020- the Right to Sight” initiative.

scholarly journals Understanding the role of lady health workers in improving access to eye health services in rural Pakistan – findings from a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stevens Bechange ◽  
Elena Schmidt ◽  
Anna Ruddock ◽  
Itfaq Khaliq Khan ◽  
Munazza Gillani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Background In 1994, the Lady Health Workers (LHWs) Programme was established in Pakistan to increase access to essential primary care services and support health systems at the household and community levels. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province in northern Pakistan, eye care is among the many unmet needs that LHWs were trained to address, including screening and referral of people with eye conditions to health facilities. However, despite an increase in referrals by LHWs, compliance with referrals in KPK has been very low. We explored the role of LHWs in patient referral and the barriers to patient compliance with referrals. Methods Qualitative methodology was adopted. Between April and June 2019, we conducted eight focus group discussions and nine in-depth interviews with 73 participants including patients, LHWs and their supervisors, district managers and other stakeholders. Data were analysed thematically using NVivo software version 12. Results LHWs have a broad understanding of basic health care and are responsible for a wide range of activities at the community level. LHWs felt that the training in primary eye care had equipped them with the skills to identify and refer eye patients. However, they reported that access to care was hampered when referred patients reached hospitals, where disorganised services and poor quality of care discouraged uptake of referrals. LHWs felt that this had a negative impact on their credibility and on the trust and respect they received from the community, which, coupled with low eye health awareness, influenced patients’ decisions about whether to comply with a referral. There was a lack of trust in the health care services provided by public sector hospitals. Poverty, deep-rooted gender inequities and transportation were the other reported main drivers of non-adherence to referrals. Conclusions Results from this study have shown that the training of LHWs in eye care was well received. However, training alone is not enough and does not result in improved access for patients to specialist services if other parts of the health system are not strengthened. Pathways for referrals should be agreed and explicitly communicated to both the health care providers and the patients.

scholarly journals Ecological considerations for intervention strategy in the development of eye health promotion policy in South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hlupheka L. Sithole
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Promotion ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Ecological Model ◽  
Intervention Strategy ◽  
Contributory Factor ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Eye Health

Eye health promotion is an important component of public health. To realise the essential aspects of eye health promotion, the formulation and implementation of policy as an intervention strategy is a major contributory factor and can best be described by an ecological framework. Ecological perspectives assert that people’s health affairs cannot be neatly grouped into diagnoses, symptoms and risk factors to be targeted and eliminated; this is because the core concept of an ecological model is that behaviour has many levels of influence, often including intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational, physical environmental, and policy. Therefore, societal and personal issues can be directly linked to an ecological model that points to issues of numerous levels of influence on certain behaviours that affect the manner in which eye care services are utilised. These behaviours are therefore termed salient beliefs. Unfortunately, there is no study in South Africa that has identified the set of beliefs that are salient in any given population that might be responsible for influencing the uptake of eye care services. However, reorienting eye health care services through direct policy reforms and advocacy may change the landscape of eye health care services in South Africa.

scholarly journals A situational analysis of eye care services in Swaziland

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Velibanti Nhlanhla Sukati ◽  
Vannesa Raquel Moodley ◽  
Khathutshelo Percy Mashige
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
World Health ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Situational Analysis ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Key Informant

Compared to other African countries, Swaziland performs the worst in terms of providing eye health care services. A priority goal of the World Health Organization (WHO) is to alleviate childhood blindness, particularly in low-income countries such as Swaziland, where many people live in poverty, which is a contributor to poor health outcomes. A mixed method approach that entailed a document review, key informant interviews and clinical facility assessment questionnaires was used. Hospitals and mission clinics offering ophthalmic services were identified through the website of the Ministry of Health and verified during key informant interviews. A saturated sampling procedure was applied due to the few facilities that offer eye care services. Six framework components from the WHO for analysing health systems were utilised in an eye health care service context: leadership and governance, eye health services, eye health workforce, eye health financing systems, eye health medical supplies and technologies, and eye health information systems. Poor management, lack of accountability, poor monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, weak coordination and ineffective private-public sector regulations were identified as factors that lead to poor eye care in the country. The optometrists indicated that refractive services are the most rendered ophthalmic services. The exodus of healthcare practitioners has contributed to the downfall of the public health sector in the country. Five government eye care facilities, 3 government hospitals, 1 non-governmental organization (NGO) and a church mission clinic were included in this analysis. The eye services distribution favors the more affluent areas, particularly the more urban Hhohho Region, which is also where most of the eye health professionals are located. No campaigns have been conducted to prevent childhood blinding diseases or create awareness about getting children’s eyes tested for refractive correction. The burden of eye diseases among children in Swaziland remains unknown. More eye health care personnel and equipped facilities are needed throughout the country, and the eye health care program needs to be adopted.

scholarly journals Knowledge and practices of eye health professionals about the availability and accessibility of child eye care services in the public sector in Swaziland

2019 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Velibanti Sukati ◽  
Vanessa R. Moodley ◽  
Khathutshelo P. Mashige
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Health Care Service ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
The Public ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Health Practitioners

Background: International and African rights instruments stipulate that children have the right to access quality general and eye health care. Lack of access to quality eye care can have a significant negative impact on the child, family and society in general.Aim: To determine the knowledge and practices of eye care professionals about the availability and accessibility of child eye care services in the public sector in Swaziland.Setting: The study was conducted in Swaziland.Methods: This was a quantitative study design, and 15 public eye health professionals completed and returned the Questionnaire for Eye Health Professionals (QEHP).Results: Thirteen (86.7%) eye health practitioners reported that both standard practice guidelines and paediatric national guidelines for ophthalmic services were unavailable. The majority (66.7%) identified cost and unawareness of available services by parents as the most common barrier to accessing eye care services. Nine (60%) felt that they were less informed about eye health problems and 6 (40%) reported being well informed. Eight (53.3%) respondents indicated that there were no outreach programmes and 7 (46.7%) reported that their clinics offered these services. Thirteen (86.7%) eye health practitioners indicated that they were not part of teachers’ training for supporting visually impaired children, while 2 (13%) reported that they were.Conclusion: Formulation of guidelines to support eye health care service delivery in Swaziland is essential in order to improve availability, accessibility, affordability and effectiveness in the public health system.

scholarly journals An Overview of Herbal Traditional Eye Care Practices and the Development of Eye Health Promotion Strategies in Cameroon

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Waindim Dorcas ◽  
Epee Emilliene ◽  
Tembe Fokunang Estella ◽  
E. A. Nshadze Joseph ◽  
Naidoo Kovin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Eye Diseases ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Eye Health ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Promotion Strategies ◽  
Care Practices

Herbal plants have played an important  role traditional medicine therapy of multiple human illnesses since the existence of man  in many parts of the globe .The most common eye diseases include conjunctivitis, cataract, glaucoma, eye allergies, eye inflammation. The problem of adverse drug effects of modern drugs, has led to the increased use nowadays of herbal remedies in the treatment of eye diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO), defines  traditional medicine as, the knowledge, skills and practices based on theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to diverse cultures, be it explicable or not that are used in the maintenance of health and the prevention, diagnosis, improvement and  the treatment of physical and mental diseases. In the last decade, the use of traditional medicine has gained popularity and has expanded globally. While traditional medicine is used in developing countries for primary health care, it is also being used in developed countries with advanced health care systems. Traditional medicine accounts for up to 60% of health care delivered in Cameroon, while in other African countries traditional medicine is being relied on as a result of cultural and historical beliefs and up to 80 % of the population in Africa use traditional medicine to meet their health care needs. Although, traditional medicine is widely used, issues around policy; safety; efficacy and quality control are still of prime public health concern. Traditional eye care practices are believed to be indigenous medicines used by community members for the treatment of eye diseases or ocular problems. This is the most applied form of eye treatment in Africa and other parts of Asia and Latin America. Eye care is a public health concern in Cameroon due to late diagnosis of eye pathology and limited access to medication and affordability of prescription eye glasses. This paper attempts to review the herbal medicine practice as an alternative approach to eye treatment using traditional healing, and the development of eye health promotion strategies in the primary health care system in Cameroon.

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