Thakur Anjna S, Dubey Aditi, Kumar Kavita
Department of Ophtalmology, Gandhi Medical College, Bhopal, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Jun 19;17(6):e86402. doi: 10.7759/cureus.86402. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Background Corneal blindness is a major public health concern worldwide and poses a significant burden in India. It can severely impact an individual's quality of life, particularly when access to timely and effective treatment is limited. One of the key strategies to combat this issue is the Hospital Cornea Retrieval Programme (HCRP), which aims to increase the availability of corneal tissue for transplantation. The effectiveness of this program, however, relies heavily on successful counseling efforts to encourage eye donation and support the retrieval process. Aim and objective The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of counseling on awareness and willingness for eye donation within the HCRP. Methods This 18-month, prospective, hospital-based observational study was conducted at Gandhi Medical College and the associated Hamidia Hospital in Bhopal, India. The study included 58 attendants of critically ill and deceased patients. Trained grief counselors established rapport with families, offering assistance with medical and legal formalities while gradually educating them about eye donation. Participant awareness and willingness were assessed using a structured questionnaire before and after counseling. Results Before counseling, 53.4% of participants were entirely unaware of cornea retrieval, 44.8% had partial awareness, and only 1.7% were fully informed. Post-counseling, no participants remained completely unaware, with 74.1% achieving partial awareness and 25.9% becoming fully aware. Initially, none of the participants were willing to donate eyes, but after counseling, 10.3% expressed willingness. Education level and socioeconomic status were significant factors influencing willingness, with 27.8% of graduates and 30% of participants from the upper socioeconomic class willing to donate after counseling. Conclusion Counseling significantly improved awareness across all demographic groups but had a more modest effect on willingness to donate. These findings highlight the need for targeted, culturally sensitive approaches that address not only knowledge gaps, but also deeper cultural and personal concerns to increase corneal donation rates in India.
背景
角膜盲是全球主要的公共卫生问题，在印度也造成了沉重负担。它会严重影响个人生活质量，尤其是在获得及时有效治疗受限的情况下。应对这一问题的关键策略之一是医院角膜获取计划（HCRP），其旨在增加用于移植的角膜组织的可获得性。然而，该计划的有效性在很大程度上依赖于成功的咨询工作，以鼓励眼捐赠并支持获取过程。
目的
本研究的主要目的是评估咨询对HCRP中眼捐赠意识和意愿的影响。
方法
这项为期18个月的前瞻性、基于医院的观察性研究在印度博帕尔的甘地医学院及附属哈米迪亚医院进行。研究纳入了58名重症和已故患者的陪护人员。训练有素的哀伤咨询师与家属建立融洽关系，在协助他们办理医疗和法律手续的同时，逐步向他们介绍眼捐赠相关知识。在咨询前后，使用结构化问卷评估参与者的意识和意愿。
结果
咨询前，53.4%的参与者完全不知道角膜获取情况，44.8%有部分了解，只有1.7%完全知晓。咨询后，没有参与者仍完全不知情，74.1%有部分了解，25.9%完全知晓。最初，没有参与者愿意捐赠眼睛，但咨询后，10.3%表示愿意。教育水平和社会经济地位是影响意愿的重要因素，咨询后，27.8%的毕业生和30%来自社会经济上层阶级的参与者愿意捐赠。
结论
咨询显著提高了所有人口群体的意识，但对捐赠意愿的影响较为有限。这些发现凸显了需要采取有针对性的、对文化敏感的方法，不仅要解决知识差距，还要关注更深层次的文化和个人问题，以提高印度的角膜捐赠率。
