02315nas a2200265   4500000000100000008004100001260001000042653004500052653002700097653001900124653001900143653001400162100001200176700001100188700001200199700001300211700001500224700001200239245008500251856006500336300000800401490000700409520160800416022002502024       2024                            d  bAOSIS10acommunity health planning service (CHPS)10aprimary eye care (PEC)10a endline study10abaseline study10aintegrate1 aOfosu A1 aOsei I1 aHagan M1 aBiekro L1 aAwedoba AK1 aWiafe B00aImproving access to eye care services in Ghana using community health structures  uhttps://avehjournal.org/index.php/aveh/article/view/893/2470  a1-90 v833 a<p><strong>Background:&nbsp;</strong>To improve access to appropriate eye health care services within the community health structures in Ghana, pre- and post-intervention studies were carried out to explore the feasibility of integrating primary eye health into the community health planning services programme.</p>

<p><strong>Aim:&nbsp;</strong>To explore the feasibility, accessibility and acceptability of integrating primary eye health care into community health planning services.Setting:&nbsp;The study was carried out in the Northern, Western and Eastern regions of Ghana.Methods:&nbsp;A pre- and post-intervention multi-stage cluster randomised design based on two separate cross-sectional surveys with both quantitative and qualitative research techniques were used. The magnitude of change in the dependent variables for the intervention group was compared with those for the comparison group at baseline and endline using a difference-in-difference analysis.</p>

<p><strong>Results:&nbsp;</strong>The intervention communities were more likely to visit a community health facility with their eye problems. Improved access to eye care medicines reduced the use of herbal preparations to treat eye disease.Conclusion:&nbsp;Integrating primary eye care (PEC) into community health planning service (CHPS) was associated with greater utilisation of community health facilities for eye health care services.</p>

<p><strong>Contribution:&nbsp;</strong>The results of this study should facilitate the implementation of the vision for everyone integrated into universal health coverage.</p>
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