title: Patient participation in free cataract surgery: a cross-sectional study of the low-income elderly in urban China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the characteristics of the low-income elderly who underwent free cataract surgery and to determine the degree of patient satisfaction with the free cataract surgery programme in urban China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A free cataract surgery management workflow was designed as a poverty relief project in Guangzhou. In this study, participants who underwent free cataract surgery between January and August 2014 received a telephone interview based on a structured questionnaire. Data were collected on patient demographics, resources, health conditions, reasons for undergoing the free surgery and overall evaluation of the free cataract surgery programme.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the 833 participants, the mean surgical age was 76.85±7.46 years (95% CI 76.34 to 77.36), and the male to female ratio was 385:448. The majority (94.31%, 746/791) of patients resided in the main urban districts. Patients underwent surgery 61.08±60.15 months (95% CI 56.17 to 66.00) after becoming aware of the cataract, although 66.83% of them reported that their daily lives were influenced by cataracts. Only 21.5% of the respondents underwent physical examinations that included regular eye screening, and only 6.30% were highly educated patients. Financial problems were the primary reason cited by patients for participating in the free surgery programme. Those patients with a monthly family income of 1000-2999¥ (US$161-482) per capita constituted the largest patient population. The free clinics in the parks and the free cataract surgery were highly rated (9.46 and 9.11 of 10 points) by the beneficiaries.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The telephone survey revealed a high level of patient satisfaction regarding the free cataract surgery programme. Most of the patients who participated in the programme resided in major urban districts and had poor health awareness and a low level of education. The information provided by this study is crucial for improving and expanding the management of free cataract surgery programmes.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  NCT02633865; Post-results.
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Haotian
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Duoru
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Erping
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Haofeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jinzhu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yingfen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaohang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhuoling
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhenzhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yizhi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Weirong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002386:Cataract / Q000628:therapy*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000191:economics; D002681:China; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008297:Male; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011203:Poverty; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population
keywords: characteristics; free cataract surgery; low-income elderly; urban China