Patama Vajamun. A model of eye care for the elderly by community-based nursing in Pakthongchai district, Nakhonratchasima . Doctoral Degree(Public Health Nursing). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2003.
A model of eye care for the elderly by community-based nursing in Pakthongchai district, Nakhonratchasima
Abstract:
Blindness is one of the first five causes of handicap in the world. Most cases of
the blindness in the elderly population are due to cataract . The purpose of this study was to
developed a model based on self-care nursing theory and community participation concept in
order to enhance eye care knowledge and the practice of eye care in the elderly. This action
research which was community-based, involveed five steps as follows: assessing data and
asset, agreeing on the goal, planning, and generating the plan, implementation and
monitoring and evaluation. In step 1, data were collected by the researcher and stakeholders
participating in the activities which were comprised of home visit for interviewing
the elderly and their family members, group discussions about elderly eye health, use of
eye care service and the constraints involved in practicing eye care or access to eye care
service, expectations of eye care in the community, and analysis of the data to select
problems to be solved. Step 2 included agreeing on goal setting by stake-holders, and
discussion for solving problems by the elderly, community leader, health center staff and
VHVs. Step 3 comprised planning by stake-holders, agreeing to take part in the activities,
and understanding of the plan among participants. Step 4 was Implementation of the plan.
The activities were as follows; health staff and the researcher prepared teaching media and
instruments for testing Visual Acuity., taught primary eye care to the elderly and
VHVs. VHVs were trained to screen eye problems of the elderly and the elderly with
poor V.A. were advised to go to health centers. In Step 5, Monitoring and evaluation
were conducted by reflective feeling of participants in each step including suggestions
for re-planing by interview, questionnaire and discussion. Results showed that after
elderly eye examination, 30 out of 846 were referred to health centers and
ophthalmologist. Health center staff and community leaders planned for continuing
basic eye care by examining the elderly every year on the elderly day
(April,14).Researchers learned how to work with multisectors effectively by communitybased
nursing. Descriptive analysis, and Repeated Measure Analysis were used for
quantitative analysis of data of knowledge and practice of eye care of the elderly and
VHVs, knowledge of eye care were increased p<0.05 while eye care practice was
improved in certain aspects only, markedly in visit to ophthalmologist and self V.A. test and
remained unchanged used sunglass. Qualitative data were analyzed by content analysis
method. The findings showed that blindness rate was 3.5% .Stake-holders participated in
the process of assessing and asset of the elderly eye health data and resources for eye
care service, agreed to improve elderly eye care in the community, planned to meet the
goals of improved eye care by teaching the elderly and VHVs about primary eye care
including training of VHVs to screen eye problems by testing V.A. The elderly who
had poor V.A were referred to health centers, monitoring evaluation were conducted by
reflective feeling of participants and re-planned by discussion and suggestion.
The study suggested that each district should have a policy to improve
elderly eye care by community-based nursing to enhance their abilities of self care
through community participation concepts. The finding should be further evaluated in other
communities with different characteristics.