Catalysing Interprofessional Eye Health Education Using the Arclight diagnostic tool and simulation eyes in Rwanda: Outcomes from a Mixed Methods Randomised Trial

Abstract Background Vision loss represents a significant public health concern according to the World Health Organisation, with increasing global age-standardised prevalence rates. Visual impairments are disproportionately distributed, occurring eight times more frequently in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia compared to high-income regions. The Interprofessional Education (IPE) approach, utilizing the Arclight package as an implementation vehicle, offers promising potential for collaborative early detection and management of eye conditions in resource-constrained environments. This research aimed to implement validated Interprofessional Eye Health Education(IPEHE) in Rwanda, assess fundamental eye health knowledge and skills acquisition, evaluate medium to long-term learning retention, and explore IPE’s role in developing these competencies. Methods The study employed a mixed-methods approach combining a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) with qualitative assessment at the University of Rwanda. Researchers invited 443 final-year students from diverse healthcare programs including nursing, pharmacy, midwifery, medicine, and ophthalmic clinical officers. With statistical power set at 0.80 and alpha error probability at 0.05, the design aimed to detect pre-post training score differences of 10% or greater. The calculated sample size of 54 participants per group was expanded to 280 total participants (180 intervention, 100 control) to accommodate potential attrition. Results In the intervention group, 161 students (89.4%) attended the training, and 113 (70.2%) participated in the 10-month follow-up assessment (POST2). Of the control group, 90 participants (90%) attended assessments at 10 months post-intervention (POST2). Knowledge scores in the intervention group increased by 58.9% (SD=20.8, Z=10.82 p