Long-term evaluation of a health education programme for elderly persons with visual impairment. A randomized study

In order to implement evidence-based practice, a randomized study was set up to evaluate the ADL-based Health Education Programme 'Discovering new ways' for elderly persons with age-related macular degeneration. Purpose: To investigate the impact of this program on perceived security in the performance of daily activities 28 months after the intervention. Method: Two-hundred and twenty-nine persons randomized to either the Health Education programme or an Individual Intervention Programme participated in the study. At the 28-month follow-up there was a dropout of 98 persons and the results are based on 62 persons participating in the Health Education Programme and 69 persons in the Individual Intervention Programme. Results: There were statistically significant differences in perceived security between the groups in 15 out of 28 daily activities. Furthermore, the Health Education Group showed a significant tendency towards an improved level of security while the Individual Intervention Group tended to deteriorate. Conclusions: The findings provide strong support for the long-term effect of the programme and for the implementation of evidence-based practice. The study corroborates the effectiveness of the Health Education Programme in enhancing security and hindering a progressive decline in perceived security in daily activities.