| DR. P.C. SEN MEMORIAL AWARD PAPER ON RURAL HEALTH PRACTICE |
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| Year : 2005 | Volume
: 49
| Issue : 2 | Page : 63-67 |
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Increasing access to cataract surgery in a rural area - a support strategy
R Malhotra, Y Uppal, A Misra, DK Taneja, VK Gupta, GK Ingle
Department of Community Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India
Correspondence Address:
R Malhotra
Department of Community Medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
PMID: 16457097 
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The objectives of the study were to elicit the reasons for not undergoing cataract surgery from those having cataract, aged 50 years and above, in a village community and, develop, implement and assess a support strategy for getting cataract surgery done. The leading reasons identified were monetary constraints (18.8%), transport difficulty (17.4%), lack of awareness about cataract in the eyes (17.4%) and lack of escort (14.5%). Based on the identified reasons, patients were transported in groups to a government eye hospital for free surgery after completion of required pre operative formalities at the village health center itself. Out of 65 eligible individuals, 66.2% underwent surgery. The success of the approach was evident by perceived improvement in vision in 88.4% operated patients, occurrence of only few minor complications and a satisfactory hospital experience being reported by all. |
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