Primary Health Care Workers’ Knowledge and Attitude to Eye Care

Abstract

Background: Eye diseases are common. But they are treatable or preventable. Primary health care (PHC) workers, with requisite knowledge and attitude, can attend to most of the cases. Objectives: To determine the knowledge and attitude of PHC workers to eye care in Dunukofia Local Government Area (LGA), Anambra State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: Randomly selected PHC staff in Dunukofia LGA responded to pre-tested questionnaire containing 10 questions each on knowledge, and attitude to eye care. The responses were graded into poor, good and very good. Results: 54 participants in 16 PHC facilities were studied. There were 12 (22.2%) males and 42 (77.8%) females. The age range was 18 - 58 years; median – 37 years. The job experience was 1 - 26 years; median - 11 years. The participants’ knowledge of eye care and eye disease were good; all participants knew that “traditional eye medication makes eye disease worse”. The participants’ attitude to eye care for infected eyes, eye injuries, glaucoma surgery, and eyeglass wear by children was poor; 43(79.6%), considered attending to ophthalmic patients in PHC centres unnecessary; none of the participants would want to urgently treat an eye discharging pus. Conclusions: While the eye care knowledge of PHC workers was good, their attitude was poor. The poor attitude may jeopardize the integration of primary eye care into PHC. Therefore, for a successful integration, an attitudinal change of PHC workers is required. Repeated targeted training, performance monitoring, evaluation and effective policy guidelines are required.