Background: There is a growing interest concerning the potential of ICT solutions that are customized to consumers. This emerging discipline referred to as consumer health informatics (CHI) plays a major role in providing information to patients and the public, and facilitates the promotion of self-management.The concept of CHI has emerged out of the desire of most patients to shoulder responsibilities regarding their health and a growing desire of health practitioners to fully appreciate the potential of the patient.Aim: To describe the role of ICT in improving the patient-provider partnership in consumer health informatics.Methods: Systematic reviewing of literature, identification of reference sources and formulation of search strategies and manual search regarding the significance of developed CHI applications in healthcare delivery.Results: New consumer health IT applications have been developed to be used on a variety of different platforms, including the Web, messaging systems, PDAs, and cell phones. These applications assists patients with self-management through reminders and prompts, delivery of real-time data on a patient’s health condition to patients and providers, web-based communication and personal electronic health information.Conclusion: New tools are being developed for the purposes of providing information to patients and the public which has enhanced decision making in health matters and an avenue for clinicians and consumers to exchange health information for personal and public use. This calls for corroboration among healthcare organizations, governments and the ICT industry to develop new research and IT innovations which are tailored to the health needs of the consumer.

Background: Diabetes is associated with premature morbidity and mortality from its many complications. There are limited data on the chronic complications of diabetes in children and adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa. Objective: The study aims to determine the (1) burden and related factors of chronic systemic complications of diabetes, including diabetic and nondiabetic ocular conditions in children and adolescents, and (2) quality of life (QoL) of participants compared to healthy controls. This manuscript describes the study methodology. Methods: Demographic information, medical history, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory characteristics were collected, and the participants were screened for microvascular and macrovascular complications as well as nondiabetic ocular disease. QoL questionnaires were administered to participants, their caregivers, and controls. Participants were followed up annually up to 3 years to determine the natural history of and trends in these conditions. SPSS Version 25.0 will be used for data analysis. Continuous and categorical data will be presented as mean (SD) and as percentages (%), respectively. t tests and analysis of variance will be used to compare means, and chi-square tests will be used to compare categorical data. Correlation, regression, and logistic regression analyses will be employed to establish linear associations and causal associations as appropriate. Relative risk and odds ratios will be used to estimate risk. QoL outcomes in Ghanaian children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus compared with caregivers and healthy controls will be assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life inventory. Significance will be set at α=.05. Results: Institutional approval from the Ethical and Protocol Review Committee of the University of Ghana Medical School was received on August 22, 2014 (Protocol Identification Number: MS-Et/M.12-P4.5/2013-2014). Funding for the project was received from the University of Ghana Research Fund (#UGRF/9/LMG-013/2015-2016) in March 2016. Patient recruitment, clinical examination, and data collection commenced in August 2016 and was completed in September 2019. A total of 58 children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus have been recruited. Blood samples were stored at –80 °C for analysis, which was completed at the end of July 2020. Data analysis is ongoing and will be completed by the end of December 2020. Investigators plan to submit the results for publication by the end of February 2021. Conclusions: The prevalence, natural history, trends in diabetic complications and nondiabetic ocular disease, and QoL will be provided. Our data may inform policies and interventions to improve care given to children and adolescents with diabetes. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/21440

Background: The main objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR), other diabetes-related ocular changes (e.g., cataracts, corneal ulceration), and non-diabetic ocular disease in Ghanaian children and adolescents. The second objective was to evaluate the relationship between these conditions and age at diagnosis, current age, diabetes mellitus (DM) duration, and participant’s sex. Methods: A cross-sectional study, undertaken by a multidisciplinary team, included a cohort of children and adolescents (4–19 years) with DM recruited from selected health facilities in Ghana, from March 2016 to September 2019, after written informed consent or assent. The cohort will be followed up for 3 years to determine the natural course of the ocular changes, reported later. Participants were examined for all microvascular and macrovascular complications, non-diabetic ocular disease, anthropometric measurements, laboratory characteristics and quality of life issues. Full ocular examination was also undertaken. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25.0) was used for the data analysis. Continuous and categorical variables were presented as mean and standard deviation (SD), median (interquartile range) and as percentages (%), respectively. T-test and Mann–Whitney U test were used in establishing associations. Results: A total of 58 participants were recruited. DR was detected in only 1 out of 58 (1.7%) participants at baseline. Cataracts were the most common ocular finding, detected in 42 (72%) at baseline. Other anterior segment changes observed included blepharitis 46 (79.3%) and tear film instability 38 (65.5%). There was a significant positive association between duration of the DM and the risk of cataract (p = 0.027). Participants’ age at diagnosis was significantly associated with the presence of prominent corneal nerves (p = 0.004). Conclusions: DR was uncommon in this cohort of young persons with DM in Ghana. Cataracts, blepharitis and refractive errors were ocular changes commonly observed. All young persons with diabetes should undergo regular eye examination in all clinics where follow-up care is provided.

Purpose: To examine the determinants of retinoblastoma treatment delay in children diagnosed with retinoblastoma in Ghana. Methods: : The study is a retrospective cross-sectional review of hospital records of children with retinoblastoma from treatment centers in Ghana from 2014 to 2019. Data were collected by trained ophthalmology residents and nurses and entered into a REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) database. Frequencies and proportions were used in describing categorical variables. Independent samples t‑test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare equality of means and median values. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: Of the 234 children, 224 (95.7%) were referred cases and the remaining 10 (4.3%) were walk-ins. The average distance traveled by the children from home to retinoblastoma treatment center was 118.9 ± 128.4 km. The mean parental lag time was 7.6 ± 4.6 months. Longer parental lag time was associated with older age at presentation and unilateral disease (p < 0.05). The mean referral lag time was 0.6 ± 0.5 months. Longer referral lag time was associated with patients who abandoned treatment or died compared with those who survived at last follow-up (p = 0.036). A total of 125 (55.8%) cases abandoned treatment after being referred and seen at a treatment center. Conclusion: Analysis of the pathway from the observance of the first sign of retinoblastoma to presentation to a health facility reveals a need to reduce both parental and referral lag times in order to improve retinoblastoma outcomes. Future studies may help to unravel factors contributing to long parental lag time, referral lag time and abandonment of treatment in Ghana.

Background: Reviewing validated glaucoma disease‐specific tools for measuring adherence could encourage adherence monitoring to avoid progressive visual field losses in people living with glaucoma.Aim: To review the literature on validated disease‐specific tools for measuring adherence to glaucoma medications.Methods: Relevant peer‐reviewed publications from the year 2000 to 2022 from PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, and PROquest were retrieved. For each search conducted, the name of the search engine used, date of search, number of publications retrieved, and keywords used were documented. The selected articles were reviewed for inclusion and assessed for biases and quality. Each tool was described by the type of measurement, technique for measurement, strengths and weaknesses, and method of validation, respectively.Results: Out of the 10 included articles, seven glaucoma disease‐specific tools were identified namely; Glaucoma Treatment Compliance Assessment Tool‐Short form (GTCAT‐S), Glaucoma Treatment Compliance Assessment Tool‐Long form (GTCAT‐L), Travatan Dosing Aid (TDA), Eye‐Drop Satisfaction Questionnaire (EDSQ), Glaucoma Adherence Questionnaire‐Revised (GAQ‐R), Glaucoma Adherence Questionnaire‐Old (GAQ‐O), and Schwartz Adherence Questionnaire (SAQ). Three studies had a low risk of bias, and seven recorded a moderate risk of bias. The TDA, GTCAT‐S, and GTCAT‐L were rated as high‐quality tools.Conclusions: Seven glaucoma disease‐specific tools for measuring adherence were found. Integration of regular measurement of medication adherence as part of care for glaucoma patients would be beneficial for both patients and providers of eye care.