Abstract
Purpose: :
To assess knowledge of glaucoma and its influencing factors in patients from Shanghai Glaucoma Club and also in general outpatients. To evaluate the effect of glaucoma club on patients’ understanding of glaucoma.
Methods: :
Shanghai Glaucoma Club is an organization composed of glaucoma patients and doctors, with the aim of providing better health education and improving quality of lives. A total of 301 glaucoma patients in Shanghai Glaucoma Club and 314 general glaucoma outpatients were investigated by a questionnaire, consisting of three parts and twenty questions. The first part was "level of cognition about glaucoma", the second part was "compliance of medicine usage and follow-up", and the third part was "life style and habit". Answers were graded on each question and scores were summed up separately for each part and also as a total. Differences of scores and influencing effects were analyzed using multivariate linear regression (stepwise) between two groups.
Results: :
The average age of general glaucoma outpatients was 52.6±18.7 years old and that of glaucoma patients in Shanghai Glaucoma Club was 64.8±12.4 years old. The median time after their joining glaucoma club was 6 (3-10) years. The average total score of general glaucoma outpatients was 19.6±5.4 and that of glaucoma patients in Shanghai Glaucoma Club was 23.8±4.0, (t=-11.14 P<0.0001). Multivariate linear regression (stepwise) was used to adjust the effects of age, diagnosis and educational level. Club group still got 3.71 points more than general outpatients with statistically significance (t=8.07, P<0.0001). Club was shown to be the strongest positive factor influencing patients’ cognition. Patients in Shanghai Glaucoma Club understood the nature and course of glaucoma significantly better than general glaucoma outpatients (t=10.97, P<0.0001) and lived healthier lives (t=7.55, P<0.0001). Except for club, level of education background was found to be positively and age was negatively correlated with total score. Types of glaucoma also played a significant role in knowledge of the disease. Primary glaucoma patients demonstrated better cognition of their diseases than secondary glaucoma patients and those patients unaware of their own types were graded rather poorer scores.
Conclusions: :
Serious deficiencies in the basic knowledge of glaucoma between two groups were demonstrated. The patients in Shanghai Glaucoma Club presented with much better cognition of glaucoma and self management than general glaucoma outpatients from eye clinic. Glaucoma club is an effective form to improve patients’ knowledge of disease and compliance to medication.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: health care delivery/economics/manpower • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: risk factor assessment • quality of life