Views and opinions of patients with glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration on vision home-monitoring: a UK-based focus group study.
BMJ Open
; 14(7): e080619, 2024 Jul 13.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-39002965
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the views, hopes and concerns of patients living with glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) regarding vision home-monitoring.DESIGN:
Qualitative study using focus groups and questionnaires. Participants were given three disease-relevant home-monitoring tests to try. The tests consisted of three visual field tests for the glaucoma groups (Melbourne Rapid Fields, Eyecatcher, Visual Fields Fast) and three acuity and/or contrast-sensitivity tests for AMD groups (Alleye, PopCSF, SpotChecks). Focus group data were thematically analysed.SETTING:
University meeting rooms in London, UK.PARTICIPANTS:
Eight people with glaucoma (five women, median age 74) and seven people with AMD (four women, median age 77) volunteered through two UK-based charities. Participants were excluded if they did not self-report a diagnosis of glaucoma or AMD or if they lived further than a 1-hour travel distance from the university (to ensure minimal travel burden on participants).RESULTS:
Six themes emerged from focus groups, the two most frequently referenced being 'concerns about home-monitoring' and 'patient and practitioner access to results'. Overall, participants believed home-monitoring could provide patients with a greater sense of control, but also expressed concerns, including the possibility of home-monitoring replacing face-to-face appointments; the burden placed on clinicians by the need to process additional data; struggles to keep up with requisite technologies; and potential anxiety from seeing worrying results. Most devices were scored highly for usability, though several practical improvements were suggested.CONCLUSION:
Patients with mild-to-moderate glaucoma/AMD expect vision home-monitoring to be beneficial, but have significant concerns about its potential implementation.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Glaucoma
/
Focus Groups
/
Qualitative Research
/
Macular Degeneration
Limits:
Aged
/
Aged80
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
BMJ Open
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Country of publication:
United kingdom