Research and Monitoring Program

Research and Monitoring are among those important organizational function that help in growth and development of the organization. In a health service oriented organization like NNJS, research has a very important role to play not only in organizational development but to assess the need of the people, introduce new technologies, enhance the services and many more. With a need to strengthen research and monitoring in the organization, the Research and Monitoring Department (RMD) was reinstated at NNJS in 2005. The major objectives of department was to develop a culture of research in eye health to strengthen the eye health services provided through the eye health network of NNJS, to identify eye health need of the people, to test and implement advances in technologies in eye health care, to keep a track and ensure ethics in researches on eye health in Nepal and to establish a quality assurance system in eye care services rendered under NNJS. 

The RMD department has undertaken a number of researches and also has monitored the researches undertaken within the eye health network. At present the following researches are being undertaken under RMD: 

"The Incidence and Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy among the Known Diabetic Population of Nepal"-June 2014 

The prevalence of diabetes among people aged 20 years and above was found to be 14.6% while the prevalence among people aged 40 years and above was found to be 19% in a study held among urban population in Nepal (Bhattarai 2012). At the same time Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) has been identified as the leading cause of blindness around the world. Anticipating the threats of blindness due to Diabetic Retinopathy in Nepal, this study was designed with an objective to estimate the prevalence and incidence of DR among the known diabetic population of Nepal; to investigate the risk factors associated with development of DR among known diabetic population of Nepal; to assess the need of expansion of eye care services to include identification and care for DR in Nepal. The findings of this study is expected to put light on the current scenario of DR in Nepal and help in extend diabetic eye care services in the eye care network.

Some of the researches being undertaken within the eye care network of NNJS under the supervision and monitoring of RMD are as follows: 

"Village Integrate Eye Workers Trial"-February 2014 

Investigators:

Kamal Bahadur Khadka, MD*^1,2     Ram Prasad Kandel*^1,2                       Ken Bassett²

Chundak Tenzing², MD                  Madan Upadhyay³, MD                  Muthiah Srinivasan, MD*⁴

N. Venkatesh Prajna, MD⁴                M.D. Thulasiraj, MBA⁴                       Kieran S. O’Brien, MPH⁵

Kathryn J. Ray, MA⁵                            Jeremy D. Keenan, MD, MPH⁵     Travis C. Porco, PhD, MPH⁵

Nisha R. Acharya, MD, MS⁵              John P. Whitcher, MD, MPH⁵         Thomas M. Lietman, MD*⁵ 

* Principal investigator:

1- Bharatpur Eye Hospital, Chitwan, Nepal

2- Seva Foundation, Nepal Eye Hospital Compound, Tripureswor, Kathmandu, Nepal

3- B. P. Eye Foundation, Kathmandu, Nepal

4- Aravind Eye Care System, Madurai, India

5- Francis I. Proctor Foundation for Research in Ophthalmology, University of California, San Francisco 

 

"Improving cataract referrals through female community health volunteers in Nepal"-May 2014 

Principal Investigator:

Bruce D. Gaynor, MD, Assistant Professor, F.I. Proctor Foundation, Department of Opthalmology, University of California.

Co-Principal Investigator:

Bidya Prasad Pant, MD, Hospital Director and Chief of Surgery, Geta Eye Hospital.

 

"Nepal Evaluation of strategies for Trachoma Surveillance"-August 2014 

Study Investigators: 

Dr. Sheila West, Principal Investigator

Wilmer Rm 129, Johns Hopkins Hospital

600 N Wolfe St.Baltimore MD, USA:  email: shwest@jhmi.edu

 

Mr Sailesh Kumar Mishra and Mr Shekhar Sharma

NNJS, PO Box 335

Tripureswor, Katmandu, Nepal  e mail: smishra@nnjs.org.np

 

Ms Kathryn Crowley and Dr Nastu Sharma

RTI International

701 13th stNW, Suite 750

Wshington DC, USA email: kcrowley@rti.org and ssharma@rti.org 

 

"Effectiveness of 'selected teacher' versus 'all class teachers' training programme for vision screening in schools of Farwestern in Nepal"-October 2014 

Study Investigators: 

Suresh Awasthi, B. Optom, MPhil, Optometrist, Geta Eye Hospital. 

Priya Adhiseshan, MBA, Manager-Paediatric Opthalmology and City Cent, Aravind Eye Hospital, Pondichhery, India. 

Dr. Ken Bassett, MD, PhD (Medical Anthropology), Professor of Medicine, Director-BC Center for epidemiologic and International Opthalmology, Department of Opthalmology, University of British Columbia. 

 

"Association between Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and the stage of Diabetic Retinopathy at first presentation"-October 2014 

Principal investigator:

Dr Deepak Khadka, MBBS, MD (Opthalmology), Vitro Retina Consultant and academic manager of Geeta Eye Hospital. 

Co-Investigators: 

Dr. Bidhya Prasad pant, MD, MS (Opthalmology), Cornea Consultant and Hospital Director, Geta Eye Hospital.

Dr. Suresh Raj Pant, MBBS, MD (OPthalmology), Occulo-plastic surgeon and Deputy Director, Geta Eye Hospital.

Ramesh Chandra Bhatta, MCEH, Outreach Manager, Geta Eye Hospital.