Training results in increased practitioner confidence and identification of depression in people with low vision: a mixed methods study

Bartlett, Rebecca, Acton, Jennifer ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0347-7651, Ryan, Barbara, Man, Ryan, Pickles, Timothy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7743-0234 and Nollett, Claire ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6676-4933 2021. Training results in increased practitioner confidence and identification of depression in people with low vision: a mixed methods study. Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics 41 (2) , pp. 316-330. 10.1111/opo.12788

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Abstract

Purpose The prevalence of depression in people with low vision is high and often goes undiagnosed. There is the potential for those who provide low vision services to perform concurrent depression screening. However, prior training in depression identification and suitable referral pathways is required. The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the impact of a training programme on practitioners’ confidence and behaviour in addressing depression in patients with low vision, and (2) to review the training programme and identify areas for further development. Methods A convergent mixed methods approach was used. Questionnaires were completed by practitioners pre‐, immediately post‐ and 6 months post‐ training (n = 40) to assess practitioner confidence in approaching depression in patients with low vision. Qualitative interviews were performed with a subset of practitioners 6 months post‐training (n = 9). Additionally, routine data from the Low Vision Service Wales (LVSW) database was used to determine the change in the number of practitioners identifying depression in patients, and the change in the number of patients identified at risk of depression 6 months post‐training. Results Of the 148 practitioners who completed low vision assessments pre‐ and post‐training, 28 (18.9%) documented risk of depression in their patients pre‐training, which increased substantially to 65 (43.9%) post‐training (p < 0.0001). Mixed methods analysis confirmed increased documentation of depressive symptoms by practitioners. Practitioner confidence increased following training, with 92.3% feeling more confident to approach emotional issues with patients and 92.2% intending to use the recommended screening tool to identify depression. Interviews provided insight into areas where confidence was still lacking. Quantitative questionnaires revealed that training content was considered appropriate by 91% of participants. Interviews confirmed these findings while expanding upon possibilities for programme improvement. Conclusions Training for depression screening was found to be time‐efficient and acceptable for LVSW practitioners and shown to increase practitioner confidence in the identification of depression. Additionally, the programme changed behaviour, resulting in an increase in the identification of depression in patients with low vision. However, this is a complex topic and ongoing development is required to embed depression screening as an integral part of low vision services.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Optometry and Vision Sciences Medicine Centre for Trials Research (CNTRR)
Additional Information:	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0275-5408
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 February 2021
Date of Acceptance:	3 February 2021
Last Modified:	07 May 2023 03:37
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/138583

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