Interventions to improve patients’ knowledge in ophthalmology: A systematic review and narrative synthesis

Low eye health knowledge is associated with suboptimal treatment adherence, self-care practice and follow-up rate leading to poorer outcomes. The aim of this review was to survey what interventions are effective at improving patients' knowledge of eye disease and treatments. Randomised controlled trials and cross-sectional studies delivering interventions to improve patients' knowledge about eye diseases were reviewed. Databases, grey literature, reference lists and journals were searched for relevant studies. Three authors reviewed and extracted the data and assessed quality. Seventeen publications were included examining different types of interventions. Thirteen studies showed significant improvements on patients' eye disease knowledge following intervention. These included all 5 verbal interventions, 5 out of 6 video interventions, 5 out of 8 written or image material interventions, and 1 out of 2 using other formats. Study quality varied, with 7 studies rated as having low risks of bias, 8 moderate, and 2 high. Intervention design varied considerably across studies, making comparisons challenging. Interventions to improve patients' knowledge of eye conditions show promising results in particular verbal and video interventions; however, higher quality studies, as well as standardisation of reporting and intervention formats, are required to strengthen the evidence base.