Does Orientation On Eye Health To Female Health Volunteers Increase Footfall In A Vision Center

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Eye Health Orientation On Service Uptake: A Study Among Female Health Volunteers In Sudurpashchim Province, Nepal

The goal of this interventional comparative study is to see if one day eye health orientation to Female Community Health Volunteers will increase footfall of patients in a Vision Center. Total of 58 Female Community Health Volunteers of Dipayal Silagadhi Municipality will receive eye health education. There is one Vision Center at Dipayal Silagadhi. Similarly there is one Vision Center at Chainpur Bajhang. Here FCHV will not receive one day eye health orientation. Currently both Vision Centers provide similar number of services. We shall compare and see if there will be any change in the number of people coming to these vision center.

Female Community Health Volunteers in Dipayal Silgadhi will be asked to refer eye patients to the nearest Vision Center. They will be given

1. Eye health orientation session
2. Referral slip

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Eye Disorders; Female Community Health Volunteers
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Educational Session

Detailed Description

Every year thousands of FCHVs receive orientation on eye health. These training sessions are organized by eye hospitals and eye centers. There is a belief that FCHV play vital role in bridging the gap between community and health providers. Eye hospital staff also feel that training FCHV helps connect with community. Some centers conducts FCHV training program just before surgical camps. It is assumed that doing so increases the community people attending the camps. Despite the existing practices little is known about the effectiveness of eye health orientation to FCHVs. This study will help to find out the result of orientating FCHVs on eye Health.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a one-day eye health orientation provided to Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) on the utilization of eye care services in rural Nepal. The intervention is facilitated by Seva Foundation/Seva Canada Society, in collaboration with Geta Eye Hospital, the leading eye care provider in Sudurpashchim Province. Launched nationally in 1988, FCHVs play a critical role in linking communities to primary health services. Given their widespread reach and strong rapport with local populations, FCHVs are well-positioned to support eye care delivery, particularly in raising awareness and referring patients in need of services. While Seva Nepal and partners have oriented more than 3,000 FCHVs across Nepal, there is limited empirical evidence on the impact of such training. This study seeks to determine whether FCHV orientation leads to measurable increases in eye care service uptake and to explore optimal training

The study follows an interventional comparative study design. Study Population is FCHV's of Dipayal Silgadhi Municipality Doti District, Jayaprithvi Municipality and Chhabishpathivara Rural Municipality in Bajhang District. Convenience sampling method has been applied. The intervention group consists of 58 FCHVs in Dipayal Silgadhi Municipality (Doti District), where orientation will be provided. The non-interventional group includes 91 FCHVs from Jayaprithivi Municipality and Chabbis Pathibhara.

Inclusion Criteria: All the FCHVs in above mentioned municipalities whe are interested to take part in the study

Exclusion Criteria: FCHVs not interessted participate in the study.

Rural Municipality (Bajhang District). The populations served are comparable, approximately 5000

patients examined in each serving eye centers covering 34,000 to 36,500 people each.

The orientation session will last four hours and be delivered by an Ophthalmic Assistant trained in a

standardized Training of Trainers (ToT) format. Content will include the burden of eye diseases in

Nepal, common eye conditions, early detection, prevention, and available eye care services.

Training materials such as referral slips, pamphlets, and posters will be distributed. No incentives

will be provided for referrals.

Data collection will span one year, beginning from the day of orientation. Referral slips completed

by FCHVs will be collected monthly, and patient data including name, age, gender, presenting and

final visual acuity, diagnosis, and distance traveled, will be recorded at the Eye Care Centre level.

Pre- and post-training evaluations will also be conducted to assess FCHV knowledge improvement.

Key indicators include:

Change in patient footfall compared to the previous year

Number of referrals versus actual visits

Gender and age breakdown of referred patients

Comparison of referral in the intervention and non-intervention group

Data will be maintained securely in Excel and shared monthly with the project team. While the study is subject to selection bias, as municipalities were not randomized, the findings are expected to provide important insights. The anticipated outcomes are increased referrals, improved access across gender and age groups, and evidence of training effectiveness. Results will guide Seva and partner hospitals in determining the future scale-up of FCHV eye health orientation programs.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 149
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Parami Dhakhwa, Masters in Business Studies; Phone Number: 9779841509003; Email: pdhakhwa@seva.org
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Ramesh Bhatta, Masters; Phone Number: 9779868591160; Email: ramesh.bhatta@getaeyehospital.org.np

Study Locations

• Nepal
  • Sudurpaschim
    • Dhangadi, Sudurpaschim, Nepal
      • Recruiting
      • Geta Eye Hospital
      • Contact: Suresh Pant, Ophthalmologist; Phone Number: 977 984-1342757; Email: drsrpant1@hotmail.com
      • Principal Investigator: Ramesh Bhatta, Masters

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female Community Health Volunteers of Dipayal Silgadhi Municiplality

Exclusion Criteria:

• Female Community Health Volunteers of other Municipalities

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Vision Center; No Educational Session to Female Community Health Volunteers of the Municipality where Vision Center is located
Experimental: Eye Health Orientation; Orientation On Eye Health To Female Health Volunteers Increase Footfall In A Vision Center	Behavioral: Educational Session; Educational Session

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
International comparative study to see if one day eye health orientation to Female Community Health Volunteers will increase footfall of patients in a Vision Center	The goal of this international comparative study is to see if one day eye health orientation to Female Community Health Volunteers will increase footfall of patients in a Vision Center. Total of 58 Female Community Health Volunteers of Dipayal Silagadhi Municipality will receive eye health education. There is one Vision Center at Dipayal Silagadhi. Similarly there is one Vision Center at Chainpur Bajhang. Here FCHV will not receive one day eye health orientation. Currently both Vision Centers provide similar number of services. We shall compare and see if there will be any change in the number of people coming to these vision center. Female Community Health Volunteers in Dipayal Silgadhi will be asked to refer eye patients to the nearest Vision Center. They will be given 1. Eye health orientation session 2. Referral slip	One year

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Seva Canada Society
• Collaborators: Geta Eye Hospital
• Investigators: Study Director: Priya Reddy, PHD, Seva Canada Society

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Rawal LB, Sun Y, Dahal PK, Baral SC,Khanal S, Arjyal A, et al. (2022) Engaging Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs) for cardiovascular diseases risk screening in Nepal. PLoS ONE 17(1):e0261518. https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0261518
• Bechange, S., Schmidt, E., Ruddock, A. et al. Understanding the role of lady health workers in improving access to eye health services in rural Pakistan - findings from a qualitative study. Arch Public Health 79, 20 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00541-3
• Panday S, Bissell P, Teijlingen Ev, Simkhada P (2019) Perceived barriers to accessing Female Community Health Volunteers' (FCHV)services among ethnic minority women in Nepal: A qualitative study. PLoS ONE 14(6): e0217070
• Gnyawali S, Bhattarai D, Upadhyay MP. Utilization of primary eye health services by people from a rural community of Nepal. Nepal J Ophthalmol. 2012 Jan-Jun;4(1):96-101. doi: 10.3126/nepjoph.v4i1.5859. PMID: 22344005.
• Acharya D, SinghJK, Adhikari S & JainV. Association between sociodemographic characteristics of female community health volunteers and their knowledge and performance on maternal and child health services in rural Nepal, Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 2016
• O'Brien KS, Byanju R, Kandel RP, Poudyal B, Gonzales JA, Porco TC, et al. Village-integrated eye workers for prevention of corneal ulcers in Nepal (VIEW study): a cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet Glob Health. 2022 Apr 1;10(4):e501-9
• Dhital R, Silwal RC, Pokhrel KN, Pokhrel S, Tuladhar H, Bright S, et al. Evaluating the impact of female community health volunteer involvement in a postpartum family planning intervention in Nepal: A mixed-methods study at one-year post-intervention. PLoS One. 2021 Oct 1;16(10 October 2021).
• Shrestha MK, Shrestha UD. Role of community volunteers in pediatric eye screening. Nepalese Journal of Ophthalmology. 2014 Jul 22;6(1):119-21.
• Panday S, Bissell P, Van Teijlingen E, Simkhada P. The contribution of female community health volunteers (FCHVs) to maternity care in Nepal: A qualitative study. BMC Health Serv Res. 2017 Sep 4;17(1).
• Khatri RB, Mishra SR, Khanal V. Female Community Health Volunteers in Community-Based Health Programs of Nepal: Future Perspective. Front Public Health. 2017 Jul 21;5.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 2, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 26, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 26, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 30, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 29, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Nepal; Female Community Health Volunteers; Eye health awareness
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Eye Diseases
• Other Study ID Numbers: FCHVs_48/2025

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Considering the nature of study there is no need for individual information

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No