The Appointment System Influences Uptake of Cataract Surgical Services in Rwanda
Open Access
- 16 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Vol. 18 (2), 743
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18020743
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate barriers and enablers associated with the uptake of cataract surgery in Rwanda, where financial protection is almost universally available. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study where potential participants were adults aged >18 years who accepted an appointment for cataract surgery during the study period (May–July 2019). Information was collected from hospital records and a semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Of the 297 people with surgery appointments, 221 (74.4%) were recruited into the study, 126 (57.0%) of whom had attended their appointment. People more likely to attend their surgical appointment were literate, had fewer than 8 children, had poorer visual acuity, had access to a telephone in the family, received a specific date to attend their appointment, received a reminder, and reported no difficulties walking (95% significance level, p < 0.05). The most commonly reported barriers were insufficient information about the appointment (n = 40/68, 58.8%) and prohibitive indirect costs (n = 29/68, 42.6%). This study suggests that clear communication of appointment information and a subsequent reminder, together with additional support for people with limited mobility, are strategies that could improve uptake of cataract surgery in Rwanda.Funding Information
- Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (.)
This publication has 13 references indexed in Scilit:
- Retinopathy of prematurity: Overview and highlights of an initiative to integrate prevention, screening, and management into the public health system in IndiaIndian Journal of Ophthalmology, 2020
- A Systematic Review of Access to General Healthcare Services for People with Disabilities in Low and Middle Income CountriesInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2018
- Smartphone-based screening for visual impairment in Kenyan school children: a cluster randomised controlled trialThe Lancet. Global Health, 2018
- World blindness and visual impairment: despite many successes, the problem is growing2018
- Quality of counselling for knee and shoulder arthroscopy patients during day surgeryInternational Journal of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing, 2016
- Universal health coverage in Rwanda: dream or realityPan African Medical Journal, 2014
- Manual small incision cataract surgery (MSICS) with posterior chamber intraocular lens versus phacoemulsification with posterior chamber intraocular lens for age-related cataractEmergencias, 2013
- Predictors of attendance and barriers to cataract surgery in Kenya, Bangladesh and the PhilippinesDisability and Rehabilitation, 2013
- Regular provision of outreach increases acceptance of cataract surgery in South IndiaTropical Medicine & International Health, 2011
- Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness in Western Rwanda: Blindness in a Postconflict SettingPLoS Medicine, 2007