Comparison Study of Glaucoma Eye Care Follow-Up Adherence in a High Risk Population

The Partridge Foundation has funded the Wills Eye Hospital Glaucoma Research Center for the project: Comparison Study of Glaucoma Eye Care Follow-up Adherence in a High-Risk Population to continue follow-up eye care for those who received a glaucoma diagnosis during the 2010 Center for Disease Control and Prevention funded cooperative agreement: Improving Access to Eye Care among High-Risk Persons for Glaucoma in Philadelphia Project. The project aims to determine the effectiveness of a patient -centered health care delivery system focused on improving follow-up adherence in patients diagnosed with glaucoma.

There are approximately 700 potentially eligible persons from the 39 community sites, and of that the investigators hope to enroll 250 into 1 of four groups. Eligible participants have participated in the community-based comprehensive eye examination, have received a diagnosis of glaucoma-suspect or any type of glaucoma, including open angle glaucoma, chronic angle closure glaucoma, ocular hypertension, anatomically narrow-angle, pigmentary glaucoma, low tension glaucoma, or pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (identified using International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 codes), are recommended for follow-up care and have attended their Center for Disease Control and Prevention 6-month follow-up visit, are willing and able to give informed consent and participate for 1 year, any have undergone laser therapy. Excluded subjects are unwilling to attend randomized site for follow-up visits or prefers to continue follow-up eye care with their personal ophthalmologists.

Over the course of 1 year, a 6-person team comprised of one attending physician; project managers and community health educations, ophthalmic technician, and patient navigators will complete a baseline visit, baseline assessment and 2-3 follow-up visits in community and office-based locations. A leased Wills Eye van will transport the intervention team and all necessary equipment to the site. The equipment will occupy a designated location at each site for 1 to 2 days per month, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with at least 15 eye examinations performed each day. The same team will see participants who are randomized to the Wills Eye Glaucoma Research Center location.

Participants randomized to receiving help in patient navigation protocol at the community and office-based locations will receive more individualized care than others such as assistance with scheduling; a confirmation letter, text or email; a personal phone call the day before the appointment; and assistance with rescheduling appointments as needed and will consistently arrange transportation to appointments as needed, provide materials, and accompany study participants to their follow-up appointments at Wills Eye. Patient navigators, ocular technicians, and physicians will also communicate with family members regarding recommended follow-up visits, medication refills, and laser-therapy recommendations, as needed.

Participants randomized to usual care protocol at the office-based location will receive a phone number to call and schedule an appointment. Prior to the follow-up visit, participants in the usual-care group who have scheduled an appointment will receive an automated phone call similar to the standard appointment-reminding procedure commonly used at the Wills Eye Hospital. If participants do not show-up for their appointment that will be documented. Participants in the usual-care group will receive any necessary interpretation services, educational materials, and referrals to cataract surgery or other eye-care services, as needed. The intervention team will assure that participants with literacy issues can understand all information. This group is a realistic choice currently available for patients and thus will be used to compare with the patient navigator protocol.

Inclusion criteria

• Participated in the Wills Eye community-based comprehensive eye examination.
• Have a diagnosis of glaucoma-suspect or any type of glaucoma, including open angle glaucoma, chronic angle closure glaucoma, ocular hypertension, anatomically narrow-angle, pigmentary glaucoma, low tension glaucoma, or pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (identified using ICD-9 codes).
• Are recommended for follow-up care.
• Are willing and able to give informed consent and participate for 1 year.
• May have undergone laser therapy.

Exclusion criteria

• Are unwilling to go to any site for follow-up visits.
• Requested to follow-up only with their own ophthalmologist for their glaucoma eye-care.