Validation of a glaucoma knowledge assessment in glaucoma patients.
Abstract
SUMMARY: To develop metrics to identify knowledge deficits and barriers to learning
in glaucoma patients, this study seeks to validate a glaucoma knowledge assessment
to use in the evaluation of knowledge in glaucoma patients. PURPOSE: Glaucoma treatment
adherence appears to improve when patients demonstrate a greater knowledge of the
disease and its treatment. This study seeks to validate a glaucoma knowledge assessment
in a glaucoma patient population to assist in patient educational assessments and
interventions. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The National Eye Health Education Program's (NEHEP)
glaucoma knowledge assessment has previously been suggested as a useful measure to
assess glaucoma patient's knowledge. This questionnaire was administered in glaucoma
patients along with a more comprehensive 49-question examination. Demographic data
and health literacy were assessed. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the
validity of the assessments. RESULTS: A total of 12 glaucoma patients completed the
knowledge assessments. The mean ± standard deviation age of the patients was 69±14
years, and the duration of glaucoma was 14±13 years. The participants' mean score
on the NEHEP assessment was 7.3±0.8 (of 10, 73% correct) vs 29.3±7.3 (of 49, 60% correct)
on the comprehensive assessment. The value of coefficient α was 0.592 for NEHEP and
0.872 for the cumulative assessment. The P-value (proportion of examinees answering
correctly) ranged from 0 to 1 for individual questions. Item point-biserial correlation
values for each question ranged from -0.402 to 0.813. DISCUSSION: The NEHEP quiz may
be a good starting point for the development of a reliable knowledge assessment tool
to measure and monitor glaucoma knowledge, due to its concise nature and reasonable
level of difficulty. This study suggests that questions included in the currently
available questionnaires vary widely in difficulty and ability to differentiate knowledge
level, which may ultimately compromise reliability and utility of existing examinations.
Further examination of individual questions and teaching points included in the current
assessments may help to construct increasingly reliable and useful knowledge assessments
in the future.
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/14987Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.2147/OPTH.S117704Publication Info
Rao, Veena S; Peralta, Esteban A; & Rosdahl, Jullia A (2016). Validation of a glaucoma knowledge assessment in glaucoma patients. Clin Ophthalmol, 10. pp. 1913-1918. 10.2147/OPTH.S117704. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/14987.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Jullia Ann Rosdahl
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
I am a glaucoma specialist at the Duke Eye Center.My passions are teaching, caring
for patients and doctors, and saving retinal ganglion cells.

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