Abstract
Purpose :
Hill tribe children in rural Thailand face serious healthcare disparities. Previous studies have shown that parents reported communication barriers and a limited understanding on health conditions and treatments which affect their ability to access healthcare for their children. This exploratory, cross-sectional survey-based study investigates the experiences and perceptions of parents and healthcare providers in Chiang Rai, Thailand to assess their pediatric ophthalmology healthcare access and literacy in preparation for establishing a program addressing needs.
Methods :
Two surveys modified from Donaldson et al. were designed to assess pediatric ophthalmology healthcare literacy and access. These surveys were modified for cultural fit through an iterative process based on feedback from public health workers and respondents. We distributed one survey to parents of children in rural Chiang Rai, and the other to healthcare workers.
Results :
A total of 25 surveys were collected from staff (1 ophthalmologist, 1 refractionist, 8 nurses, and 15 other healthcare workers) in 1 district hospital and 3 rural health promoting hospitals serving the hill tribe population. Among eye care and primary care staff, 50% of respondents reported that they don’t know how or where to arrange an eye test for a child. Among parents, similar trends are noted. A total of 10 parents from 2 rural communities completed surveys; 30% of parents reported that they never have considered taking their child to an eye doctor, and 40% reported that they don’t know how to arrange a vision test for their child. Notably, only 50% of all survey respondents reported that there was routine vision screening in the local schools despite the existence of an established Ministry of Public Health program. The most commonly reported barrier (staff, parents) was cost (64%, 10%) but not poor confidence in eye care--few reported worries a child will be given unnecessary glasses (16%, 10%) or that glasses will make eyes weaker (16%, 10%).
Conclusions :
This study provides preliminary evidence of healthcare barriers and misconceptions of eyecare for children across Chiang Rai. Consistent with previous studies, the lack of information, and systems counterproductive to healthcare access are observed in the analysis of survey responses. Identifying gaps in knowledge and difficulties of accessing eye care is necessary to implement programs to reduce healthcare disparities.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.