Implementing primary eye care in private practises in Malaysia: the challenges faced by optometrists
Objective: In Malaysia, optometrists' role in the private sector is limited compared to their counterparts elsewhere. Primary eye care (PEC) is still not widely offered in private practises despite its demand to reduce the public's eye morbidity. This study aims to explore the challeng...
Saved in:
Main Authors: | , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English English |
Published: |
Malaysian Medical Association
2023
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/104996/7/104996_Implementing%20primary%20eye%20care%20in%20private%20practises.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/104996/13/104996_Implementing%20primary%20eye%20care%20in%20private%20practises%20in%20Malaysia_Scopus.pdf http://irep.iium.edu.my/104996/ https://www.e-mjm.org/2023/v78n3/primary-eye-care.pdf |
Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
Summary: | Objective: In Malaysia, optometrists' role in the private
sector is limited compared to their counterparts elsewhere.
Primary eye care (PEC) is still not widely offered in private
practises despite its demand to reduce the public's eye
morbidity. This study aims to explore the challenges
perceived by the private sector optometrists in
implementing PEC in Malaysia.
Materials and Methods: In-depth interview using semistructured open-ended questions were designed to explore
the challenges of implementing PEC. Fifteen private
optometrists across Malaysian were interviewed via
purposive sampling until the data were saturated. The
interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed.
Results: Four major themes emerged: working environment,
support and recognition, self-sufficiency and customer
influence. The first major theme identified a lack of time and
equipment in the workplace as a barrier to PEC
implementation. The second major theme acknowledges the
lack of support and recognition for PEC practise from
financial bodies, the government, Malaysian Optical Council
(MOC) and other eye professionals. Meanwhile, some
practising optometrists faced significant challenges due to
their lack of self-sufficiency regarding skills, knowledge and
confidence. The final major theme, customer influence,
reflects the customer's role in shaping eye care delivery
through their perception and acceptance of PEC.
Conclusion: Each of the issues identified played a
significant impact in impeding PEC implementation in
Malaysia. This study is the first step toward developing
tailored interventions to improve eye care delivery in
Malaysia |
---|