Original articleHealth Literacy and Adherence to Glaucoma Therapy
Section snippets
Methods
The study, approved by the Duke University Institutional Review Board, was designed as a cross-sectional patient survey and concomitant chart review. Potential subjects were recruited from the Glaucoma Service of Duke University Eye Center. Inclusion criteria included a diagnosis of open-angle glaucoma and presence of visual field tests in the medical record. Subjects who refused to participate or scored less than 13 on the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), a measurement of cognitive status,
Results
Of the 208 patients approached, eight declined to participate in the survey, including six women and two men, six African-Americans and two Caucasians. Three subjects were excluded for not meeting the MMSE criteria with scores of three, five, and ten. These subjects were all men ranging in age from 77 to 90 years and included one Caucasian and one African-American and one subject of unknown ethnicity. Characteristics of the 197 subjects who completed the survey are presented in the Table.
Discussion
The National Adult Literacy Survey of 1992, the most comprehensive assessment of English-language literacy in the United States to date, revealed that nearly one fourth of the American adult population is functionally illiterate.21 Inadequate health literacy (the inability to comprehend written material in a health care context), may compromise health care. In one study involving 2659 patients in two urban hospitals, 41.6% of subjects were unable to understand written instructions for taking
Kelly W. Muir, MD, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University Medical School. Dr Muir completed her ophthalmology residency at the Duke University Eye Center, where she is currently a glaucoma fellow. Dr Muir will serve as chief resident beginning in July, 2006.
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Health literacy and ophthalmology: A scoping review
2023, Survey of OphthalmologyCitation Excerpt :Four papers with 4 total findings examined the association between a measure of HL with treatment adherence.16,24,38 With glaucoma patients, REALM score was found to be positively associated with the number of refills obtained.38 Also with glaucoma patients, those with poor HL measured with TOFHLA had a significantly higher frequency of eye drops the patient forgot to instill as compared to those with adequate HL.24
Readability and Suitability of Online Patient Education Materials for Glaucoma
2022, Ophthalmology GlaucomaHealth Literacy and Success with Glaucoma Drop Administration
2022, Ophthalmology GlaucomaInsights Into Eye Care Accessibility: Geospatial Distribution of Eye Care Providers and Socioeconomic Factors by ZIP Code
2024, Translational Vision Science and TechnologySocial determinants of health and health disparities in glaucoma: A review
2024, Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Kelly W. Muir, MD, is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University Medical School. Dr Muir completed her ophthalmology residency at the Duke University Eye Center, where she is currently a glaucoma fellow. Dr Muir will serve as chief resident beginning in July, 2006.
Paul P. Lee, MD, JD, is the James Pitzer Gills III and Joy Gills Professor of Ophthalmology at Duke Medical Center, Senior Fellow in the Duke Center on Aging and Human Development, and part of the Health Services Program at RAND, Santa Monica, California. National service activities include the Board of Trustees of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Socioeconomics and Health Services Section Editor for the Archives of Ophthalmology.
Supported by an unrestricted grant from Pfizer, Inc, Durham, North Carolina. Dr Lee is a consultant for Pfizer, Allergan, Merck, and Alcon, and has received research support from Pfizer, Allergan, and Merck. Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, New York.