title: Barriers to the Uptake of Cataract Surgery and Eye Care After Community Outreach Screening in Takeo Province, Cambodia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the barriers influencing eye healthcare seeking behavior after community outreach screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  A concurrent mixed methods study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 469 patients screened during the previous 12 months were followed up, of which 354 (75%) from 5 districts were interviewed in person, using a semi-structured questionnaire, in-depth interviews (n = 11), and 16 focus groups (n = 71). SPSS and NVivo were used to analyze response frequency and identify themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the respondents, 98% (350/354) reported they were told they had an eye problem, with 295 individuals (83%) told to attend CARITAS Takeo Eye Hospital (CTEH) and 55 to have their eyes checked at Kiri Vong Vision Centre. Of those 68.9% (244/354) who reported seeking treatment, only 7.4% (18/244) reported they attended CTEH, 54% (n = 132) attended a "local pharmacy," 31.6% (n = 77) "self-treated at home," 11% (n = 27) reported "using steam from boiling rice," and 10.7% (n = 26) attended a "traditional healer." Of those who reported reasons for "not attending," responses included "no time" (47.8%, 86/180), "no one to accompany" (21.7%, n = 39), "fear of losing sight" (17.8%, n = 32), "cannot afford to travel" (16.1%, n = 29), and "eye problem is not serious enough" (15.6%, n = 28). Follow-up of patient records identified that 128 individuals (79 females) attended eye care services.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Socioeconomic factors, personal concerns, and the use of local cultural remedies were reasons for not seeking eye hospital treatment. An integrated community approach to improve awareness and uptake of appropriate treatment is recommended.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Business and Science and Lifestyle Research Centre, Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, NSW, Australia.|Population Health Unit, Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, East Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Gail M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Ormsby
authors.affiliation: CARITAS Takeo Eye Hospital, Takeo Province, Cambodia.|CBM.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mörchen
authors.affiliation: Population Health Unit, Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, East Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fotis
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, Business and Science and Lifestyle Research Centre, Avondale College of Higher Education, Cooranbong, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Dawn Grant
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Skiba
authors.affiliation: Consultant, Cambodia.
authors.forename: Channeang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chim
authors.affiliation: Population Health Unit, Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, East Melbourne, The University of Melbourne, Australia.|LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Jill E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Keeffe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001766:Blindness / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002160:Cambodia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002386:Cataract / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002387:Cataract Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Cambodia; barriers; concurrent mixed methods; outreach community screening; seeking eye treatment