Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating an Incentive-based Community Eye-care Programme

Singapore National Eye Centre

Status: Completed

Conditions: Visual Impairment

Treatments: Other: Incentive Care

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03264885

R1102/4/2014

Details and patient eligibility

About

Elderly with visual impairment (VI) who undergo community eye screening often do not attend tertiary follow-up even if significant eye diseases are detected. Investigators evaluate an incentive-care scheme (ICS) to improve the attendance rates of tertiary eye-care visits of participants following community eye screening.

Full description

A randomized controlled study individuals with VI with baseline visual acuity (VA) and vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) assessed in the community. Participants were randomised to either receiving ICS or usual care (UC). ICS is a novel intervention that incorporates patient education, social support, and financial assistance to assist individuals. Participants in UC received a standard GP referral letter advising them to seek further care. Our main outcome measure was compliance to tertiary eye-care referral. Our secondary outcome measure was VA and VRQoL assessed at 3 months.

Enrollment: 140 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 21 to 80 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• the ability to speak English and/or Mandarin, have adequate hearing with/without hearing aids to respond to normal conversation, not currently undergoing regular assessment/care with an ophthalmologist (at least yearly), have the ability to undergo visual acuity testing and provide reliable results, and visual acuity of 6/12 or worse in either eye after best correction

Exclusion criteria

• refused informed consent and any other contraindication(s) as indicated by the general practitioner responsible for the participant

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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140 participants in 2 patient groups

Usual Care

No Intervention group

Description:

The usual stand of care (UC) after community eye screening was to provide a GP referral letter and advice to attend a tertiary eye care facility most accessible to them

Incentive Care

Other group

Description:

In addition to the UC, those assigned to the ICS also received social and financial support to incentivise and improve compliance. All ICS participants were assisted with scheduling their tertiary care appointments, given telephone reminders, provided once-off transportation allowance and subsidy for their first tertiary eye-care consultation - while participants with mobility issues were assisted by volunteers.

Treatment:

Other: Incentive Care