Alternative community-led intervention to improve uptake of cataract surgery services in rural Tanzania-The Dodoma Community Cataract Acceptance Trial (DoCCAT): a protocol for intervention co-designing and implementation in a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

Age-related lens opacification (cataract) remains the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness worldwide. In low- and middle-income countries, utilization of cataract surgical services is often limited despite community-based outreach programmes. Community-led research, whereby researchers and community members collaboratively co-design intervention is an approach that ensures the interventions are locally relevant and that their implementation is feasible and socially accepted in the targeted contexts.

Building local capacity in operational research: a case study in Nepal and India.

A programme of mentor support and training has enabled eye teams in Nepal and India to carry out research to improve their own delivery of eye care services.

First-line first? Trends in thiazide prescribing for hypertensive seniors.

Background: Evidence of reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality as well as cost support thiazide diuretics as the first-line choice for treatment of hypertension. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of senior hypertensives that received thiazide diuretics as first-line treatment, and to determine if cardiovascular and other potentially relevant comorbidities predict the choice of first-line therapy.

Methods And Findings: British Columbia PharmaCare data were used to determine the cohort of seniors (residents aged 65 or older) who received their first reimbursed hypertension drug during the period 1993 to 2000.

Effect of periodic letters on evidence-based drug therapy on prescribing behaviour: a randomized trial.

Background: The effect of regular and expected printed educational materials on physician prescribing behaviour has not been studied. We sought to measure the impact of a series of evidence-based drug therapy letters mailed to physicians in British Columbia on prescribing to newly treated patients.

Methods: A paired, cluster randomized community design was used.