A qualitative study of patient perspectives of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy services in Vanuatu.

ISSUE ADDRESSED: Diabetes mellitus is an increasing global health problem, particularly in Vanuatu, where it poses a major health burden. There is paucity of information on how patients in Vanuatu perceive diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, access to services and management, health promotion and intervention services to alleviate the issues. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of diabetic patients in Vanuatu on these issues, to help inform the design of health promotion materials and community activities to empower people to self-manage and shape diabetic services that are integrated and people-centred. METHODS: Qualitative Talanga and Kakala Pacific research methodologies were applied. Participants were diabetic patients from both urban locations and rural villages in Vanuatu. Data were collected from four (two male, two female) focus group interviews and thematically analysed. RESULTS: There were 26 participants. System failures became apparent, including the inability of the health care services to meet the complex needs of patients with diabetes. The protective factors to reduce the risk and increasing incidence of diabetes and diabetic retinopathy included comprehensive village-based health promotion and community development programmes at the primary prevention level. CONCLUSION: This study described patients' experiences of their diabetic care and identified key barriers and facilitators of service delivery pathways. SO WHAT?: Vanuatu needs to expand nationwide health promotion and education programmes on nutrition and exercise, food insecurity and access through trade agreements and provide well-trained nursing and medical specialists for early diagnosis and adequate management of diabetes that all people can access and afford.

Impact of diabetic retinopathy awareness training on community health workers' knowledge and referral practices in Fiji: a qualitative study.

INTRODUCTION: Community health workers (CHWs) are effective in raising awareness about diabetes mellitus and diabetic retinopathy (DR). In Fiji, CHWs were trained in a 1-day diabetic retinopathy (DR) awareness to provide communities with adequate basic knowledge about diabetes and DR to improve awareness and enhance referrals for DR screening and treatment. This study aimed to explore the impact of this training on CHWs' knowledge of DR and their referral practices related to DR screening in Fiji 2 years post-training. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted in 2021 across three out of the four administrative divisions of Fiji, namely the Western, Northern and Central divisions. A total of 14 CHWs from the three divisions of Fiji participated in this study. All participants had attended a 1-day DR awareness training 2 years before this study. Participants were chosen purposively and were invited to participate in focus group discussion (FGD). The FGDs were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was conducted to identify and classify recurrent themes. RESULTS: CHWs indicated that their knowledge about both diabetes and DR improved significantly after the training. This boosted their confidence in talking about these issues and providing clarity regarding referrals for DR screening in their respective communities. Consequently, they have referred a significantly higher number of people for screening both in outreach and to health facilities. Challenges in referral included poverty, high transportation cost and social support needs, which hindered screening. Further, although CHWs felt some degree of integration within the health system, they thought more was needed. CONCLUSION: Investing in scalable models such as training CHWs is an important first step in tackling diabetes and DR in communities, particularly at the grassroots level in low-resource settings by increasing the community's knowledge of DR and improving access to screening, diagnosis and treatment.

Increasing and sustaining diabetic retinopathy screening in Fiji by leveraging community health workers (CHWs) services: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Inequities in access to diabetic retinopathy (DR) services particularly in rural and remote Fiji is concerning. This is because DR when left undiagnosed and untreated for long, can lead to vision loss and permanent blindness. Appropriate channels must be explored to strengthen services and ensure equitable access to healthcare for everyone. This study describes the development and implementation of DR awareness training for community health workers (CHWs) and their subsequent engagement to raise awareness and scale-up DR screening for communities throughout Fiji. Materials and method: As part of a programme to reduce the incidence of avoidable blindness due to diabetes amongst people living in the Pacific, DR training for primary level nurses was developed and implemented. As these primary level nurses were already inundated by clinical duties and competing health priorities, a shifting of the task was proposed to engage the CHWs who would instead educate communities on diabetes and DR and make referrals for DR screening. A one-day DR awareness training was developed and implemented by the Pacific Eye Institute with funding from the Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand. Results: At the end of the DR programme in 2019, the team had achieved their target and trained a total of 823 CHWs giving an 81.32% coverage of the total 1012 registered CHW in the MHMS register. Anecdotal evidence showed a spike in DR referrals and screenings recorded at health facilities. Three key themes emerged related to the involvement of CHWs which include engagement of CHWs, benefits of the engagement, and health system-related challenges. Conclusion: The use of CHWs who are already integrated into the health system was considered a sustainable intervention to strengthen diabetes and DR services at the primary level of care, particularly if it involves community awareness, health education, and health services facilitation The future of the CHWs will depend on their being integrated more systematically into local health services with strengthened management and supervision.

Patient Perspectives of Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy Services in Kiribati: A Qualitative Study.

Diabetes mellitus is an increasing global health problem affecting millions of people worldwide, especially true in the Republic of Kiribati, with >20% of adults suffering from type 2 diabetes, and the prevalence is rising. Information on I-Kiribati patients' understanding of diabetes and perception of access to relevant services is sparse. This study explores patient perspectives on their condition and its management using Talanga and Kakala Pacific research methodologies. Data were collected from Kiribati patients in four focus group interviews. Key themes to emerge were knowledge about diabetes, understanding and accessing the health care system, making lifestyle changes, and suggestions for improvement. Health system failures to meet the complex health care needs of these patients and health care services gaps are apparent. Improvements suggested include a comprehensive village-based health promotion and community development program focusing on youth and schools from early childhood and onward, increase in the skilled workforce, and an integrated approach to service delivery.