{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,14]],"date-time":"2025-05-14T04:12:25Z","timestamp":1747195945694,"version":"3.40.5"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,19]],"date-time":"2021-03-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1616112000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"El Maghraby Chair of Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Post-surgical follow-up is a challenge in low- and middle-income countries. Understanding barriers to trachomatous trichiasis (TT) surgical follow-up can inform program improvements. In this study, patient perceived barriers and enabling factors to follow-up after TT surgery are identified.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A longitudinal study was carried out in a community-based cohort of persons who received TT surgery in Bahi district, Tanzania. Questionnaires were administered before TT surgery and again after the scheduled 6-month follow-up. Those who did not return were examined at their homes.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>At baseline, 852 participants were enrolled. Of these, 633 (74%) returned at 6 months and 128 (15%) did not and were interviewed at home. Prior to surgery, attenders were more likely to report familiarity with a community health worker (CHW) (22% vs. 14%; p = 0.01) and less likely to state that time constraints are a potential reason for failure to follow-up (66% vs. 74%; p = .04). At follow-up, non-attenders were more likely to endorse barriers pertaining to knowledge about the need for follow-up, lack of transportation, and satisfaction with surgery. There was no difference in post-operative TT between attenders and non-attenders (23% vs. 18% respectively; p = 0.25).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>The outcome of surgery was not a barrier to follow-up. However, better integration of CHWs into their communities and work at coordinating post-surgical care may improve follow-up rates. Moreover, provision of transportation and implementation of effective reminder systems may address patient-perceived barriers to improve follow-up.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0247994","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,3,19]],"date-time":"2021-03-19T17:28:21Z","timestamp":1616174901000},"page":"e0247994","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Patient perceived barriers to surgical follow-up: Study of 6-month post-operative trichiasis surgery follow-up in Tanzania"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5876-7421","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Michael","family":"Saheb Kashaf","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Meraf 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