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Glaucoma Health Coaching: A Survey of Eye Drop Instillation Education

Précis: Health coaching is an effective strategy in supporting glaucoma patients to become champions of their own health. A personalized program should be implemented at the point of diagnosis. Purpose: Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Its mainstay of treatment is intraocular pressure–lowering eye drops. Yet, many patients do not receive education regarding their condition, the importance of their eye drops, and how to instil them. The purpose of this audit was to assess what proportion of glaucoma patients had received any education regarding eye drop usage and whether a health coaching intervention would be beneficial. Materials and Methods: This prospective audit was conducted during World Glaucoma Week at Moorfields Eye Hospital. Patients diagnosed with glaucoma were given a 6-part questionnaire. Subsequently, they received a coaching session with a pharmacy team member, focusing on eye drop instillation. Patient feedback was recorded. Results: The sample size was 262. Overall, 92% of patients who had received teaching found it useful. Approximately half the patients had never been shown how to use eye drops before. In all, 79% of those who had never received a demonstration thought that further coaching would be helpful. When experiencing difficulties with eye drop instillation; 29% of patients felt comfortable asking a relative; 26% would not ask for help, and 16% would consult their glaucoma doctor. Almost 30% of patients had poked themselves in the eye at least once, during self-administration. Conclusions: Experienced and inexperienced patients found glaucoma health coaching beneficial. Health coaching empowers patients with long-term conditions to be champions of their own health condition, and it is important for patients to receive this training from the onset of their treatment.