Abstract
Purpose :
To determine whether digital media in conjunction with clinical counseling increases primarily Bengali speaking glaucoma patients’ medical comprehension and compliance with treatment regimens.
Methods :
The research was conducted at EyeCare Consultants of New Jersey’s location in Woodland Park, New Jersey. Two ophthalmologists treated and surveyed a total of 100 Bengali-American glaucoma patients randomly divided into two 50-person groups: one that received only clinical counseling with a family interpreter, and one that received digital media education in addition to clinical counseling. For the second group, at the start of their initial visit, all patients were shown the exact same set of glaucoma educational videos in English using the CheckedUp platform. A family member translated the videos while the visual media played. At the end of their visit, every patient was asked: “Did the videos help you to better understand your condition?” This same question was asked over the course of three visits to measure any changes in understanding. In addition, ophthalmologists tracked treatment adherence after each visit to determine any differences therein.
Results :
The survey results demonstrated that the patient group that received digital media education showed increased comprehension of glaucoma after their third visit as compared to the control group. Specifically, 60% of the Bangladeshi patients who received both clinical counseling and digital media education felt that the CheckedUp videos helped them better understand their glaucoma and what needed to be done to treat the condition.
Conclusions :
Considering that the variable patient group reported a greater percentage of patients who understood glaucoma, it was concluded that digital media alongside clinical counseling can serve to educate Bangladeshi immigrants at the point of care. Moreover, the doctors’ observations indicate that patient education is strongly correlated to compliance, suggesting that digital media improves patient compliance. This digital tool may be indispensable for all immigrant-Americans who seek healthcare and where English may be a challenge, and eventually, we hope to have a system where the digital education is presented in the patients’ native language.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.