Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9570
ISSN: 2155-9570
Raghad Alrasheed and Fadwa Aladel
King Saud University, KSA
King Abdulaziz University Hospital, KSA
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Objectives: To evaluate the current knowledge, awareness and to assess practices among primary care physicians working in primary care centers in Riyadh, regarding Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study covering 46 randomly selected primary care centers in Riyadh during October 2015. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to primary care physicians containing 3 main sections. The first section focused on participants�?�?�?¢�?�??�?�?��?�??�?�?� demographics and professional background. The second section contained multiple-choice questions on knowledge related to diabetes and DR. A Score of one was given for each correct answer and zero for the wrong or did not know answers. The last section was to assess physicians�?�?�?¢�?�??�?�?��?�??�?�?� practices. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Results: A total of 216 general physicians completed the questionnaire. The mean overall knowledge score for all the respondents was 57�?�?�?�??�?�??�?±14 out of 100. Knowledge was significantly higher for physicians with >15 years of practice (59�?�?�?�??�?�??�?±13 vs. 54�?�?�?�??�?�??�?±15, P=0.04). Male physicians scored better than females, 13% vs. 6.7% respectively scored >75. A defect was noticed in area of screening and follow-up of type 1 diabetes, only 24% of physicians correctly referred patients with type 1 diabetes to an ophthalmologist, whereas 71% referred patients with type 2 diabetes as recommended by the guidelines. Another defect area was detected in treatment options. Majority agreed on the use of laser photocoagulation as treatment. However, only 1/5 of participants were aware of the use of steroids and anti-VEGF as possible options. 65% of physicians claimed the capability of using an ophthalmoscope, 74% of them have examined their patients with it. Conclusion: Our study uncovered areas of defects in knowledge among general practitioners regarding diabetes and DR. Therefore; future seminars on diabetes emphasizing the proper ophthalmological screening and management of patients are necessary.