Attitudes and perceptions of eye care workers and health administrators regarding task sharing in screening and detection for management of diabetic retinopathy in Pakistan
Article
Article Title | Attitudes and perceptions of eye care workers and health administrators regarding task sharing in screening and detection for management of diabetic retinopathy in Pakistan |
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ERA Journal ID | 16692 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Shah, Mufarriq, Noor, Ayesha, Ormsby, Gail M., Chakrabarti, Rahul, Harper, C. Alex, Islam, Fakir Amirul and Keeffe, Jill |
Journal Title | Ophthalmic Epidemiology |
Journal Citation | 25 (2), pp. 169-175 |
Number of Pages | 7 |
Year | 2018 |
Place of Publication | United Kingdom |
ISSN | 0928-6586 |
1744-5086 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2017.1381273 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09286586.2017.1381273 |
Abstract | Purpose: The shortage of ophthalmologists in many countries is a major barrier to timely provision of eye care. A team work approach to screen, detect and manage diabetic retinopathy (DR) could achieve greater screening coverage of people with diabetes to prevent vision loss. This study aimed to assess the attitudes and perceptions of eye care workers and health administrators regarding task sharing for management of DR. Methods: Using purposive sampling, 121 eye and health care workers in five selected hospitals in two provinces in Pakistan were recruited. A cross-sectional survey explored the possibility for involvement of optometrists and mid-level eye care workers to share tasks with ophthalmologists for DR management and the potential outcomes of task sharing, through multiple choice and open-ended questions. Results: Ninety-six (79%) participants–doctors (n = 56), optometrists (n = 29) and mid-level eye care workers (n = 11) responded to the survey. All participants supported task sharing in screening and detection for management of DR. There was no significant difference among the groups with respect to their positive attitude towards task sharing (p = 0.22). The majority in each group believed that the task sharing would not degrade the quality of care (p = 0.48). Two potential major outcomes of task sharing in the eye care system included the benefits for people with diabetes and potential DR and the strengthening of the health care system. Conclusion: Task sharing among various cadres of eye care workers has the potential to improve screening coverage of people with diabetes to prevent visual loss from DR. |
Keywords | attitudes and perceptions; diabetes; diabetic retinopathy; low resource countries; Task sharing |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Funder | State Government of Victoria |
Byline Affiliations | University of Melbourne |
Pakistan Institute of Community Ophthalmology, Pakistan | |
Vision and Dental Care Clinic, Pakistan | |
Avondale College of Higher Education, Australia | |
Swinburne University of Technology | |
LV Prasad Eye Institute, India | |
Library Services |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/wz4w9/attitudes-and-perceptions-of-eye-care-workers-and-health-administrators-regarding-task-sharing-in-screening-and-detection-for-management-of-diabetic-retinopathy-in-pakistan
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