Lindsay A. Rhodes|Carrie Huisingh|Gerald McGwin|Stephen T. Mennemeyer|Mary Bregantini|Nita Patel|Jinan Saaddine|John E. Crews|Christopher A. Girkin|Cynthia Owsley
Eye Care Quality and Accessibility Improvement in the Community (EQUALITY): impact of an eye health education program on patient knowledge about glaucoma and attitudes about eye care
University of Alabama at Birmingham|Prevent Blindness|Prevent Blindness|Centers for Disease Control and Prevention|Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
purpose assess impact education program eye care quality accessibility improvement community equality telemedicine program atrisk patients knowledge glaucoma attitudes eye care well assess patient satisfaction equalitypatients methods new existing patients presenting comprehensive eye exam cee one two retailbased primary eye clinics enrolled based 1 following atrisk criteria glaucoma african americans 40 years age whites 50 years age diabetes family history glaucoma andor preexisting diagnosis glaucomaa total 651 patients enrolleda questionnaire administered prior patients cee prior patients receiving evidencebased eye health education program followup questionnaire administered 24 weeks later phonebaseline followup patient responses regarding knowledge glaucoma attitudes eye care compared using mcnemars testlogistic regression models used assess association patientlevel characteristics improvement knowledge attitudesoverall patient satisfaction summarizedresults followup patient responses knowledge attitude domains significantly improved baseline p001 questionsthose unemployed odds ratio 063 95 confidence interval 042095p0026 lower education odds ratio 055 95 confidence interval 029102p0058 less likely improve knowledge adjusting age sex race prior glaucoma diagnosisthis association attenuated adjustment patientlevel charac teristicsninetyeight percent n501 patients reported likely cee within next 2 years whereas 63 n326 cee previous 2 yearspatient satisfaction equality high 99conclusion improved knowledge glaucoma high intent pursue eye care may lead improved detection early disease thus lowering risk blindness