Objective: To assess knowledge and practice of primary eye care among primary healthcare workers known as community health extension workers in Funtua district of Nigeria.
Methods: Cross-sectional mixed method study among health workers employed in government-owned primary healthcare facilities. Quantitative data were obtained using self-administered questionnaires and checklists, while qualitative data by modified Delphi technique, role plays and observation. A score of 1 was given for each correct answer, while a total score of ≥60% was considered 'good'.
Results: Eighty three of 88 health workers participated (94%) in the questionnaire survey; while 16 of them were selected for the qualitative survey. Good scores regarding the knowledge of common eye diseases were obtained by 68.7%, but only 26.4% of them could identify their most important features. Participants could undertake 3 of 5 steps in visual acuity testing. Skills in recognising common eye diseases and their management were weak; while practice was often not according to the guidelines.
Conclusion: Community health extension workers displayed good knowledge of common eye diseases. Areas of weakness are recognition and interpretation of eye signs, and practice rarely follows the guidelines. Preventive medicine was neglected; community health extension workers require practical retraining and supervision to achieve integration of primary eye care into primary healthcare services.
Keywords: Atención Primara Sanitaria; Delphi technique; Enfermedad Oftalmológica; Maladies oculaires; Nigeria; Primary Eye Care; Primary Health Care; Trabajadores sanitarios comunitarios; Técnica de Delphi; agents de santé communautaires; community health workers; eye diseases; soins de santé primaires; soins oculaires primaires; technique Delphi.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.