Abstract
We made assessment sheets to gauge the ability of patients in Ward A to instill eye drops, because there had been no data indicating how the patients were using eye drops properly or improperly. We carefully watched inpatients using eyedroppers. We interviewed some patients when they were admitted into the hospital for cataract surgery and asked them about the use of eye drops. These surveys found that the patients had difficulties dipping liquid drug into the eye at one try and keeping the distance between dropper and eye. To solve these problems, we turned to a certain ophthalmic administration method. It was known as “genkotsu-ho” (literally, a fist method), which was thought to be easy to use even for the elderly. We told them how to use this method.
To make certain whether this method was effective or not, we had 28 elder patients, age 65 and up, assess their own ability to dip a liquid drug into the eye using the assessment sheets at the time they were admitted to the hospital and at the time they were discharged. Those who had not been able to instill eye drops correctly because they couldn’t hold the eye droppers steady became good at it after they were taught how to use the fist. Actually, all of the six items in the assessment sheet showed a remarkable improvement in the ability of the elderly subjects. Being simple and easly acquired, the fist method proved to be helpful to the aged people. We thought it necessary to continue teaching this method to patients so as to be able to administer eye drops correctly after they are discharged from the hospital.
