title: The Effect of Eye Drop Technique Education in Patients With Glaucoma.
abstract: Education about how to administer eye drops may improve a patient's ability to instill his or her eye drops correctly. Our objectives were to (a) document the methods providers use to educate glaucoma patients about eye drop technique; (b) determine whether eye drop technique education varies by provider and patient characteristics; and (c) evaluate whether education predicts improved patient technique. We conducted an 8-month longitudinal study of 279 glaucoma patients and 15 providers in which we recorded on videotape the content of glaucoma office visits at two time points (baseline and 4- to 6-week follow-up) and videotaped patient eye drop technique at three time points (baseline, 4- to 6-week follow-up, and 8-month follow-up). Mann-Whitney rank sum tests were used to determine whether education was associated with improved patient eye drop technique over time. Ninety-four patients (34%) received technique education at either visit; 31% received verbal education and 10% received a technique demonstration. Only 24 patients (47%) who were new to eye drops received technique education at the baseline visit. Patients who were new to drops at baseline (p = .008) and patients who asked a question about drops (p < .001) were more likely to receive technique education. Education was not associated with improved technique. Eye drop technique education occurs infrequently during glaucoma office visits. Future studies should compare the effectiveness of different educational methods, such as patient demonstration versus provider verbal instruction, to determine which method is best at improving patient eye drop technique.
authors.affiliation: a Eshelman School of Pharmacy , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Delesha M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Carpenter
authors.affiliation: b School of Medicine , Stanford University.
authors.forename: Robyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sayner
authors.affiliation: a Eshelman School of Pharmacy , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Susan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Blalock
authors.affiliation: c School of Medicine , Duke University.
authors.forename: Kelly W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Muir
authors.affiliation: d John A. Moran Eye Center , University of Utah.
authors.forename: Mary Elizabeth
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Hartnett
authors.affiliation: e Kittner Eye Center , University of North Carolina.
authors.forename: Scott D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.affiliation: f School of Medicine , Emory University.
authors.forename: Annette L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Giangiacomo
authors.affiliation: d John A. Moran Eye Center , University of Utah.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Goldsmith
authors.affiliation: g Department of Mathematics and Statistics , Husson University.
authors.forename: Gail E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Tudor
authors.affiliation: h Wilmer Institute and Bloomberg School of Public Health , Johns Hopkins University, and Department of Ophthalmology, University of Maryland.
authors.forename: Alan L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Robin
authors.affiliation: a Eshelman School of Pharmacy , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Betsy L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Sleath
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D058015:Health Communication; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000072163:Ophthalmologists; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012646:Self Administration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014743:Videotape Recording
chemical_list: D009883:Ophthalmic Solutions