Open AccessFactors Associated with Poor Eye Drop Administration Technique and the Role of Patient Education among Hong Kong Elderly Population
Author(s) -
Bonnie Nga Kwan Choy,
Ming Zhu,
Jason Chun Sum Pang,
Jonathan Cheuk Hung Chan,
Alex L. K. Ng,
Michelle Fan,
Lawrence P. Iu,
Joseph Kwan,
Jimmy Shiu Ming Lai,
Patrick Ka Chun Chiu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 2090-0058
pISSN - 2090-004X
DOI - 10.1155/2019/5962065
Subject(s) - medicine , drop (telecommunication) , eye drop , optometry , drop out , administration (probate law) , gerontology , ophthalmology , demographic economics , telecommunications , law , economics , political science , computer science
Objectives To identify the risk factors for poor eye drop application technique in treatment-naïve subjects and to assess if patient education can benefit these subjects.Methods Chinese subjects above 60 years were recruited. Questionnaires, including Barthel index; Lawton's instrumental activities of daily living (ADL); Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses, and Loss of Weight (FRAIL) scale; and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), were used to correlate with eye drop application technique (before and after patient education) using Spearman correlation analysis. A multiple linear regression was conducted to determine the predictors of successful administration technique and the improvement of technique after education.Results The data from 26 subjects (mean age 72) were analyzed. Eye drop instillation technique score improved from 5.42 at baseline to 7.33 after clear instructions. FRAIL score was an independent predictor of baseline score ( p =0.003), as well as the improvement after patient education ( p =0.012). Age, sex, education level, visual acuity, Barthel index, MoCA, and ADL score were not correlated with eye drop instillation technique, before nor after patient education.Discussion In patients with poor functional status as reflected by FRAIL score, eye drop application is prone to be ineffective. Education with step-by-step instructions could effectively improve the success of eye drop application.