An Assessment of factors causing delays in presenting eye injuries to eye specialists among patients at Neshuro district hospital
- Author
- Mavhundutse, Alexander
- Title
-
An Assessment of factors causing delays in presenting eye injuries to eye specialists among patients at Neshuro district hospital
- Abstract
- Globally, eye injuries are a major cause of avoidable acquired blindness especially among young adults. The study sought to find out the causes of delays in presenting eye injuries to eye specialists in patients seen at Neshuro District hospital after twenty-four hours of injury. The study employed mixed methods approach. Eighty participants were selected and data was collected using a questionnaire then presented using tables and narrative data analysis was employed. Participants experiences, practices and beliefs towards eye injuries was gathered and this provided the researcher a deeper understanding of their experiences. The study revealed that majority of patients, 90% were attended to first by non –ophthalmic trained personnel. Among the sampled patients, 80% presented at a primary health centre within 24 hours of injury but were referred late to eye specialists, while 90% using public or private transport. The majority 85% of patients were referred to eye specialists from the primary health care centres they visited after injury and none of them arrived within 24 hours after injury at Neshuro District hospital. The researcher concluded that most patients sustaining eye injuries delay accessing specialist eye care due to delayed referral and poor referral systems from primary health care centres increasing risk of complications resulting in poor visual outcomes or eventually complete loss of vision which may be avoidable if eye injuries are treated with the urgency they deserve. The study recommended decentralisation of eye care services down to primary health care centres for prompt and correct management of eye injuries and early referral to prevent complications and improve visual outcomes. Non- Ophthalmic trained health care workers should be educated on the management of eye injuries to equip them for practice outside specialist eye care settings. Eye should be treated with the same urgency as other cases such as maternity cases and referred by an ambulance to reduce the interval between injury and treatment to achieve better visual outcomes. The public should be educated about various eye conditions including eye injuries via public media. Information, education and communication (IEC) material should be distributed widely in schools, communities, public places, workplaces and all health care institutions to create public awareness. Aggressive health education should be instituted aimed at preventing eye injuries and encouraging early treatment. A recommendation for further studies beyond Neshuro district level was also given
- Date
- June 2024
- Publisher
- BUSE
- Keywords
- Eye specialists,
- Eye Injuries
- Supervisor
- Mr. N. Handireketi
- Item sets
- Department of Health Sciences
