Ophthalmologists’ and patients’ perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in Vietnam: a descriptive qualitative study
Introduction Globally, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged adults. Early detection and treatment of DR is essential for preventing sight loss. Services must be available, accessible and acceptable to patients if we are to ensure they seek such care.Objectives...
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BMJ Publishing Group
2022-07-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e055061.full |
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| author | Tunde Peto Nathan Congdon Lynne Lohfeld Hoang Tran Katie Curran Van Thu Nguyen Tung Thanh Hoang Hue Thi Nguyen Quan Nhu Nguyen Catherine Dardis Hoang Huy Tran Anh Tuan Vu Mai Quoc Tung |
| author_facet | Tunde Peto Nathan Congdon Lynne Lohfeld Hoang Tran Katie Curran Van Thu Nguyen Tung Thanh Hoang Hue Thi Nguyen Quan Nhu Nguyen Catherine Dardis Hoang Huy Tran Anh Tuan Vu Mai Quoc Tung |
| author_sort | Tunde Peto |
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| description | Introduction Globally, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged adults. Early detection and treatment of DR is essential for preventing sight loss. Services must be available, accessible and acceptable to patients if we are to ensure they seek such care.Objectives To understand patients’ knowledge and attitudes towards laser versus antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections to treat DR in Vietnam, and to identify factors Vietnamese ophthalmologists consider when making treatment decisions.Methods This is a descriptive qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 18 patients (12 from Ho Chi Minh City and 6 from Hanoi) plus individual interviews with 24 ophthalmologists working in eye clinics in these cities. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results In total, 10/24 (41.7%) ophthalmologists were female, and their median age was 41 years (range 29–69 years). The median age of patients was 56.5 years (range 28–72 years), and 7/18 (38.9%) were female. Briefly, factors that influence DR treatment decisions for ophthalmologists are medical considerations (ie, severity of disease, benefits and risks), availability (ie, treatment and resources) and patient-related factors (ie, costs and adherence). Patient’s perceived barriers and facilitators to treatments were based on patient and family related factors (ie, treatment and transportation costs) and previous treatment experiences (ie, positive and negative). Recommendations by all participants included ensuring that both laser and anti-VEGF injections are widely available across the country and controlling costs for patients and the healthcare system.Conclusions Reducing DR treatment costs, optimising treatments options, and expanding the network of clinics offering treatment outside metropolitan areas were the main issues raised by participants. These findings can help inform policy changes in Vietnam and may be generalisable to other low-resource settings. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fb04199fa388476faddfab7b1bb645bd |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj-art-fb04199fa388476faddfab7b1bb645bd2025-01-31T05:25:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552022-07-0112710.1136/bmjopen-2021-055061Ophthalmologists’ and patients’ perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in Vietnam: a descriptive qualitative studyTunde Peto0Nathan Congdon1Lynne Lohfeld2Hoang Tran3Katie Curran4Van Thu Nguyen5Tung Thanh Hoang6Hue Thi Nguyen7Quan Nhu Nguyen8Catherine Dardis9Hoang Huy Tran10Anh Tuan Vu11Mai Quoc Tung12Belfast Ophthalmic Reading Centre, Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, UKZhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, ChinaCentre for Public Health, Queen`s University Belfast School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Belfast, UKLeadership, Orbis International, Hanoi, VietnamCentre of Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast School of Medicine Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Belfast, UKMonitoring, Evaluation and Learning, Orbis International, Hanoi, VietnamDepartment of Ophthalmology, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, VietnamCommunications, Orbis International, Hanoi, VietnamDepartment of Vitreo-Retina, Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamDepartment of Ophthalmology, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Belfast, UKDepartment of Community, Ho Chi Minh City Eye Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamInstitute of Ophthalmology, Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology, Hanoi, VietnamDepartment of Ophthalmology, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, VietnamIntroduction Globally, diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged adults. Early detection and treatment of DR is essential for preventing sight loss. Services must be available, accessible and acceptable to patients if we are to ensure they seek such care.Objectives To understand patients’ knowledge and attitudes towards laser versus antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections to treat DR in Vietnam, and to identify factors Vietnamese ophthalmologists consider when making treatment decisions.Methods This is a descriptive qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with 18 patients (12 from Ho Chi Minh City and 6 from Hanoi) plus individual interviews with 24 ophthalmologists working in eye clinics in these cities. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results In total, 10/24 (41.7%) ophthalmologists were female, and their median age was 41 years (range 29–69 years). The median age of patients was 56.5 years (range 28–72 years), and 7/18 (38.9%) were female. Briefly, factors that influence DR treatment decisions for ophthalmologists are medical considerations (ie, severity of disease, benefits and risks), availability (ie, treatment and resources) and patient-related factors (ie, costs and adherence). Patient’s perceived barriers and facilitators to treatments were based on patient and family related factors (ie, treatment and transportation costs) and previous treatment experiences (ie, positive and negative). Recommendations by all participants included ensuring that both laser and anti-VEGF injections are widely available across the country and controlling costs for patients and the healthcare system.Conclusions Reducing DR treatment costs, optimising treatments options, and expanding the network of clinics offering treatment outside metropolitan areas were the main issues raised by participants. These findings can help inform policy changes in Vietnam and may be generalisable to other low-resource settings.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e055061.full |
| spellingShingle | Tunde Peto Nathan Congdon Lynne Lohfeld Hoang Tran Katie Curran Van Thu Nguyen Tung Thanh Hoang Hue Thi Nguyen Quan Nhu Nguyen Catherine Dardis Hoang Huy Tran Anh Tuan Vu Mai Quoc Tung Ophthalmologists’ and patients’ perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in Vietnam: a descriptive qualitative study BMJ Open |
| title | Ophthalmologists’ and patients’ perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in Vietnam: a descriptive qualitative study |
| title_full | Ophthalmologists’ and patients’ perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in Vietnam: a descriptive qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Ophthalmologists’ and patients’ perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in Vietnam: a descriptive qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ophthalmologists’ and patients’ perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in Vietnam: a descriptive qualitative study |
| title_short | Ophthalmologists’ and patients’ perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in Vietnam: a descriptive qualitative study |
| title_sort | ophthalmologists and patients perspectives on treatments for diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in vietnam a descriptive qualitative study |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/7/e055061.full |
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