141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

293857
Eye care quality and accessibility improvement in the community (EQUALITY)

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 4:30 PM - 4:55 PM

Gerald McGwin Jr., M.S., Ph.D. , Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Public Health, Birmingham, AL
Cynthia Owsley, PhD, MSPH , Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
Christopher Girkin, M.D. , Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL
This demonstration program focuses on the development and implementation of a community-based cost-efficient glaucoma detection and longitudinal care delivery model for glaucoma, particularly targeting the at-risk African American population ≥ 40 years old. This will be achieved by utilizing an intervention to both improve the quality of and access to eye care. The intervention involves comprehensive automated optic nerve assessment using newly developed, highly efficient automated algorithms to remotely assist in the detection and management of glaucoma in two predominantly African American communities in Alabama (one urban/suburban and one rural) served by Walmart Vision Centers. Furthermore, we will employ an evidenced-based eye health educational program tailored for those at-risk for glaucoma, particularly African Americans, to achieve improved disease management, compliance and follow-up for care at these clinic locations. The considerable advantages of this approach are three-fold. First, it allows for the remote application of high-level clinical evaluation to primary eye care clinics providing care to socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals who have significant barriers to receiving higher-level evaluations. Second, it provides eye health education specifically targeted for this population. Further, if successfully implemented, this project is readily scalable and replicable to a national level given the ubiquity nationwide of Walmart stores that have Vision Centers and other large retailers with vision centers.

Learning Areas:
Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
Chronic disease management and prevention
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Describe the development and implementation of a community-based cost-efficient glaucoma detection and longitudinal care delivery model for glaucoma, particularly targeting the at-risk African American population ≥ 40 years old.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I participated in the design, analysis and interpretation of the work to be presented.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.