Strengthening Community- to- Hospital Eye Care Pathways From Boko Eye Care Center in Rural Assam

This operational research project aims to strengthen continuity of eye care delivery between community screening and hospital-based treatment in rural Assam by redesigning referral pathways from the Boko Eye Care Center (ECC) to Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya (SSDN) base hospital. Despite active outreach in the Boko region from the Boko ECC through conducting regular outreach screenings, less than 30 percent of patients referred to the base hospital actually arrive for evaluation and less than 25 percent of those advised for surgery proceed to treatment. The proposed study addresses these gaps by examining behavioural, structural and logistical barriers to referral completion and surgical uptake, and by implementing a coordinated patient-centered referral and engagement strategy.

The proposed intervention comprises of five sequential components: (1) root cause analysis to identify bottlenecks and facilitators in the current referral pathway, (2) community engagement activities to improve awareness and proactive health-seeking behaviour, (3) implementation of an integrated referral and engagement model supported by trained community team and structured referral tracking, (4) strengthening referral completion through patient navigation, scheduled transport and follow-up reminders, and (5) enhancement of surgical acceptance through standardized counseling, affordability support and social reinforcement. The outcomes will be measured prospectively, focusing on increase in hospital footfall from the Boko catchment area, proportion of referred patients who complete hospital visits, and proportion of patients who were advised for surgery and had undergone the procedure. The proposed project aims to achieve a minimum of 70 percent referral completion and 45 percent surgical conversion by the end of the 36-month study period.