Treatment expectations in glaucoma: what matters most to patients?
Safitri Atika, Konstantakopoulou Evgenia, Hu Kuang, Gazzard Gus
AI Summary
Patients with glaucoma value both disease control (vision, independence) and treatment convenience (stable, drop-free). Future patient-reported outcome measures should reflect both aspects for better clinical assessment.
Abstract
Background/objectives: Recent clinical trials in glaucoma have used patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) of health-related quality of life to evaluate interventions. However, existing PROMs may not be sufficiently sensitive to capture changes in health status. This study aims to determine what really matters to patients by directly exploring their treatment expectations and preferences.
Subjects/Methods
We conducted a qualitative study using one-to-one semi-structured interviews to elicit patients' preferences. Participants were recruited from two NHS clinics serving urban, suburban and rural populations in the UK. To be relevant across glaucoma patients under NHS care, participants were sampled to include a full range of demographic profiles, disease severities and treatment histories. Interview transcripts were evaluated using thematic analysis until no new themes emerged (saturation). Saturation was established when 25 participants with ocular hypertension, mild, moderate and advanced glaucoma had been interviewed.
Results
Themes identified were: Patients' experiences of living with glaucoma, patients' experiences of having glaucoma treatment, most important outcomes to patients, and COVID-related concerns. Participants specifically expressed their most important concerns, which were (i) disease-related outcomes (intraocular pressure control, maintaining vision, and being independent); and (ii) treatment-related outcomes (treatment that does not change, drop-freedom, and one-time treatment). Both disease-related and treatment-related experiences were covered prominently in interviews with patients across the spectrum of glaucoma severity.
Conclusions
Outcomes related both to the disease and its treatment are important to patients with different severities of glaucoma. To accurately evaluate quality of life in glaucoma, PROMs may need to assess both disease-related and treatment-related outcomes.
MeSH Terms
Shields Classification
Key Concepts5
A qualitative study using one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 25 participants (ocular hypertension, mild, moderate, and advanced glaucoma) from two NHS clinics in the UK identified that patients' most important concerns were disease-related outcomes (intraocular pressure control, maintaining vision, and being independent) and treatment-related outcomes (treatment that does not change, drop-freedom, and one-time treatment).
A qualitative study using one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 25 participants (ocular hypertension, mild, moderate, and advanced glaucoma) from two NHS clinics in the UK found that both disease-related and treatment-related experiences were prominently covered in interviews with patients across the spectrum of glaucoma severity.
A qualitative study using one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 25 participants (ocular hypertension, mild, moderate, and advanced glaucoma) from two NHS clinics in the UK concluded that outcomes related to both the disease and its treatment are important to patients with different severities of glaucoma.
A qualitative study using one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 25 participants (ocular hypertension, mild, moderate, and advanced glaucoma) from two NHS clinics in the UK suggested that to accurately evaluate quality of life in glaucoma, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) may need to assess both disease-related and treatment-related outcomes.
A qualitative study using one-to-one semi-structured interviews with 25 participants (ocular hypertension, mild, moderate, and advanced glaucoma) from two NHS clinics in the UK determined that patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) may not be sufficiently sensitive to capture changes in health status for glaucoma patients.
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