Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To examine the clinical validity of the Treatment Satisfaction Survey–Intraocular Pressure (TSS–IOP), designed to assess specific issues related to patients’ satisfaction with medication effectiveness, side effects, ease of administration, and convenience of use. Methods: 250 consecutive patients with primary open–angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension completed the TSS–IOP survey. Results were matched with clinical information provided by the attending ophthalmologist. Results: Various factors correlated with patient satisfaction including: self ratings of compliance (r = 0.15–0.29, p = 0.05–0.001), acceptance of illness (r= 0.22–0.27, p< 0.001) and knowledge about glaucoma (r = 0.18–0.24, p = 0.01–0.001). Patients’ own rating of medication adherence was related to perceived effectiveness of the medicine (p < 0.001), its ease of administration (p < 0.05), and convenience of use (p < 0.001). Physician ratings of IOP control, side effect severity, and instillation problems also were significantly correlated with patient satisfaction (r = 0.13–0.26, p = 0.05–0.001). Physician ratings of patient compliance, however, were not significantly related to any dimension of patient satisfaction. Patients on monotherapy treatments of beta–blockers and prostaglandin analogs were most satisfied with their convenience of use (p < 0.05). Those on latanoprost were more satisfied with respect to the occurrence of conjunctival hyperemia (p < 0.05) and eye irritation (p < 0.01). Conclusions: This study provides evidence patient satisfaction with IOP treatment is related to patients’ perceptions of effectiveness, side effects, ease and convenience of medication use. Moreover, a relationship appears to exist between treatment satisfaction and medication adherence, acceptance of illness and knowledge of glaucoma.
Keywords: quality of life • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: systems/equipment/techniques