| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 29
| Issue : 2 | Page : 139-142 |
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Overcoming the Barriers to Cataract Surgical Uptake in a Tertiary Hospital − How Patients Do It
Osamudiamen C Obasuyi1, Odarosa M Uhumwangho2, Catherine U Ukponmwan2
1 Ophthalmology Department, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Nigeria
2 Ophthalmology Department, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, Edo State, Nigeria
Correspondence Address:
Osamudiamen C Obasuyi
Ophthalmology Department, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Irrua, Edo State, Post Code: 310101
Nigeria
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/njo.njo_13_21
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Objectives: To identify the various means by which patients overcome barriers to cataract surgery in a tertiary hospital. Materials and methods: This was a descriptive hospital-based study of the barriers to the uptake of cataract surgical services in Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and how patients overcome them. Four hundred patients who presented to the eye clinic participated in this study. Patients, who had surgery within the study period at least more than a week from counseling and when a clinical decision to have surgery was made, were asked to describe the ways they overcame their barriers to surgery and the responses were collated and analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 21. Results: The study recruited 400 consecutive patients attending the eye clinic who had a cataract or were yet to have cataract surgery. There were 217 males (54.3%) and 183 females (45.8%), a ratio of 1.2:1. One hundred and eighty-five (84.5%) participants had delayed cataract surgery during the study period with finance (51.4%) and a lack of felt need (28.6%) playing a major role in delaying surgeries. Fear of outcome (12.4%) also played a role in delaying surgery. Free cataract surgical services helped sort out the economic constraint among some participants, whereas support from relations, as well as motivation from relatives and other people who had good outcome from surgeries, helped overcome other barriers such as fear of outcome and lack of escort to the hospital. Conclusion: Motivators may play a huge role in improving the uptake of cataract surgery. These motivators may be cataract evangelists or relatives themselves. Economic constraints may be tackled by free eye surgeries, reduced cost of eye care, and/or improving efficiency in the course of providing eye-care services.
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