RESEARCH ARTICLE
Emergent Ophthalmic Disease Knowledge among Non-Ophthalmologist Healthcare Professionals in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study
Mohammed Ghazi Alsaedi1, *, Haneen Omar Alhujaili2, Ghadeer Saleh Fairaq1, 3, Sohad Ali Alwdaan4, Rwaa Ali Alwadan4
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2022Volume: 16
E-location ID: e187436412203160
Publisher ID: e187436412203160
DOI: 10.2174/18743641-v16-e2203160
Article History:
Received Date: 10/1/2022Revision Received Date: 14/2/2022
Acceptance Date: 1/3/2022
Electronic publication date: 25/03/2022
Collection year: 2022
open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Background:
Patients with emergent ophthalmic diseases are likely to be examined by healthcare providers before an ophthalmologist, so it is essential that nonspecialists have adequate knowledge for recognition and preliminary diagnosis.
Objectives:
To assess knowledge of retinal detachment, acute angle-closure glaucoma, temporal arteritis, and central retinal artery occlusion among non-ophthalmologist healthcare professionals.
Methods:
We conducted an observational cross-sectional study of 351 healthcare workers, including medical residents, nurses, pharmacists, and optometrists, in western Saudi Arabia using a self-report questionnaire.
Results:
Total knowledge scores were 75.21% for retinal detachment and 74.9% for acute angle-closure glaucoma, but only 44.15% for temporal arteritis and 41.88% for central retinal artery occlusion. Stepwise logistic regression revealed that level of education was the most significant factor influencing knowledge of different eye diseases.
Conclusion:
Ophthalmologists are encouraged to promote greater awareness and provide other healthcare professionals with the knowledge required to recognize emergent eye diseases for early detection.
