Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Health Care Staff about Glaucoma in Lomé

Abstract

Introduction: Glaucoma is a major cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Early detection and awareness are essential to reduce the impact on eye health. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health care staff about glaucoma in Lomé. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional and descriptive study including health care staff in Lomé, from October 1st to December 31st, 2020, for a period of 3 months. After their agreement, the officers responded to questions based on a survey sheet. Results: A total of 169 agents from 3 centers in Lomé, i.e. the Sylvanus Olympio University Teaching Hospital, the Campus University teaching Hospital and the Bè Hospital were involved. 50.9% of the agents were male versus 49.1% female, i.e. a ratio of 1.04. The average age was 33.66 ± 10.45 years. 46.10% were doctors versus 53.90% paramedics. 58.60% had at most 5 years of experience against 41.40% who had more than 5 years of experience. 53.80% defined glaucoma as ocular hypertension while 17.20% defined it as optic nerve disease. 46.20% did not know that there were many types of glaucomas compared to 53.20% who knew that there are many types of glaucomas. 92.30% knew that glaucoma can lead to cause visual loss. Regarding attitudes and practices about glaucoma, 91.70% declared that the follow-up should be done by the ophthalmologist, 81.10% thought that it would be necessary to be checked by the doctor only every 6 months. Finally, 65.08% declared that they had to use eye drops for life for the treatment. Conclusion:Steps should be taken to educate staff more about glaucoma attitudes and practices and also plan for action in the population.

Knowledge of Health Staff About Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG) in Gagnoa

“…The sex ratio was in favor of men at 1.07. Same observation made by Amedomé in Togo [13] and Khawaja in Pakistan [14] who found sex ratios of 1.04 and 1.7 respectively. This indicates the high presence of the male gender in public administration in our developing countries.…”

“…Regarding the definition of POAG, 66.90% of participants said they could give it. This rate is lower than that of Amedomé [13] which was 98.2%. Some participants had the media as their main source of information, while others said they had heard about it during their medical training.…”

“…The importance of inheritance of glaucomatous optic neuropathy was also observed by Merle in his study in Martinique [17]. Our results are lower than those of Monsudi [15] in Nigeria and Amedomé [13] in Togo who noted a greater knowledge of their investigations on the notion of consanguinity of glaucoma at respective frequencies of (58.2%), (69.2%). During this study we observed that the main clinical signs, such as the decline in visual acuity and ocular hypertension were known by the Philippe France Emile Koffi Bilé et al: Knowledge of Health Staff About Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG) in Gagnoa majority of the subjects questioned (74.80%).…”

Investigating the Influence of Glaucoma on the Quality of Life among Adult Patients

“…Glaucoma is among the most common causes of blindness in sub-Saharan Africa, accounting for 5.2% of total blindness and adversely affecting patients' quality of life. As a result, patients with glaucoma become functionally impaired when central vision is impinged upon or affected by visual field loss [31].…”