Haile Woretaw Alemu

Research Title: Development of keratitis disease-specific item banks to measure the quality-of-life parameters.

Supervisor: Professor Konrad Pesudovs

Co-supervisors: A/Prof Nicole Carnt, Dr Sheela Kumaran 

Research summary

Modelling the relationship between item difficulty and respondent ability along a single latent trait using a psychometric technique holds great importance. The quality-of-life measurement using an item bank is fundamental to assessing health outcomes and improving clinical care. This research project aims to develop a keratitis-specific item bank to measure quality-of-life parameters among participants diagnosed with infectious keratitis.

In phase I, relevant items’ contents will be extracted from the literature. Further, items will be developed qualitatively using focus group discussions and guided in-depth interviews.  Items will be used to explore fourteen quality-of-life domains. Up to fifteen focus groups with a member of four to six participants in each group will be formed. Moreover, up to fifty in-depth interviews will be conducted. The sample size is highly dependent on information saturation. The discussion and interview will be conducted and recorded using the Microsoft Team platform. The audio records will be transcribed using Microsoft Team.

In the Phase II survey, 350 participants will be recruited. A purposive sampling method will be used to select participants aged 18 years or older and primarily diagnosed with infectious keratitis before or during the data collection period. For both phases, study participants will be recruited from Westmead Hospital Eye Clinic, Sydney Eye Hospital referral centre, and social media keratitis support groups.

The NVivo package will store, transcribe, code, and analyse data collected from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Survey data will be conducted using REDCap. Rasch analysis using the Andrich rating scale model and Winsteps version V5.4.0 computer software will be implemented. Bland and Altman plots will be constructed using MedCalc software, (V 17.2, Belgium, 2016) to compare agreement between measurements. The overall study period will be from August 2023 to June 2026.  

Biography

I was born and grew up in Gondar, Ethiopia. I hold BSc and MSc degree in Optometry from the University of Gondar. I underwent fellowship training at LV Prasad Eye Institute, India. Previously, I worked as a full-time employee at the University of Gondar, where I was responsible for teaching, research, and community service. Currently, I am pursuing PhD at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

Beyond my academic pursuits, I have a deep affection for nature. My hobby involves travelling to historical sites and national parks. During my leisure time, I enjoy playing soccer and watching documentary films.

Education

2008: BSc in optometry, University of Gondar  

2014: MSc in Clinical Optometry, University of Gondar

2017: Fellowship in Anterior Segment, LV Prasad Eye Institute, India.

2022 to date: PhD Candidate, SOVS, UNSW.     

Conference Attendance

2011: African Council of Optometry AGM, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

2013: African Council of Optometry and SAOA AGM, Cape Town, South Africa.  

2017: World Council of Optometry AGM, Hyderabad, India.

2020: Ethiopian Optometric Association, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  

Affliations and Memberships

Fulltime employ: University of Gondar, Ethiopia 

Founding Member: Ethiopian Optometric Association.

Lifetime member: Ethiopian Red Cross Society.