Effectiveness of counseling provided by primary care doctors and nurses in increasing glaucoma screening rates

Introduction. An effective screening that can prevent glaucoma-related blindness largely depends on successful recruitment. This study was to assess the effectiveness of one-on-one counseling carried out by primary care doctors and nurses to increase glaucoma screening rates. Material and Methods. The study, carried out in an urban primary care center, involved 308 persons aged 35-87 years who were assigned to a doctor's, nurse's, or control group (N = 109, 110, and 89, resp.). Interventions by doctors and nurses included a brief one-on-one counseling session, while only a screening history was taken from controls. The number of people in each group with a positive screening status was assessed by telephone interview three months after the visit. Results. The percentage of persons in the nurse's counseling group who claimed being subjected to screening was more than four times higher than in the control group (20.9% versus 4.5%, P = 0.002). The doctor's interventions resulted in almost a tripled screening rate as compared to the control group (12.8% versus 4.5%, P = 0.052). There was no significant difference between screening rates in doctor's and nurse's groups (P = 0.212). Conclusions. In the studied population, counseling provided by nurses proved to be an efficacious method to encourage patients to undergo glaucoma screening.