Cheung CSY, Noordeh N, Gottlieb CC. A national survey of Canadian ophthalmologists to determine awareness of published guidelines for the management of uveitis.
J Ophthalmic Inflamm Infect 2016;
6:38. [PMID:
27757929 PMCID:
PMC5069221 DOI:
10.1186/s12348-016-0102-3]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2016] [Accepted: 08/22/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
The objectives of this study are to assess Canadian ophthalmologists’ awareness of established uveitis treatment guidelines and clinical management of uveitis and to assess the frequency of government applications for immunomodulatory therapy (IMT) and identify primary prescribers.
A 25-item questionnaire was sent to 759 practicing Canadian ophthalmologists. Six questions assessed demographics including the year of residency completion, training by uveitis specialists during residency, and fellowship training. Five questions assessed application of guidelines to clinical scenarios, and 12 questions assessed referral patterns and success of obtaining coverage for IMT.
Results
Of 144 respondents, 12 (8.3 %) were uveitis specialists; 45.1 % of respondents had uveitis training during residency by a uveitis specialist. Sixty-one percent reported awareness of management guidelines. Recent graduates (2001–2012) referred patients to uveitis specialists (55.3 %) less frequently than earlier graduates. Recent graduates also managed uveitis patients more frequently with corticosteroid injections (15.6 %) than those who graduated before 1980 (9.75 %). The majority (93.6 %) of respondents submitted less than six IMT funding applications for provincial drug coverage yearly, and 5.5 % reported prescribing IMT themselves, rather than referring to other specialists.
Conclusions
Although greater than half of respondents reported awareness of uveitis treatment guidelines, Canadian ophthalmologists’ awareness of uveitis treatment guidelines and application of the guidelines to patient care could be improved. Few applications are made for IMT, and the majority of applications are sent by non-ophthalmologists. This suggests the need for further education of ophthalmologist about uveitis treatment guidelines and for more ophthalmologists trained to manage uveitis with IMT.
Electronic supplementary material
The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12348-016-0102-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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