Examining the evidence base used by optometrists in Australia and New Zealand

摘要

Background: The optometrist's role in primary eye care is expanding to include not only diagnosis but also management and co-management of a range of eye diseases and visual disorders. This role calls for evidence-based practice, including an ability to source and reliably assess the various forms of evidence, on which eye care might be based. It is not known whether optometrists registered to practise in Australasia use high or low quality evidence as a basis for their clinical decisions. Methods: The present study addressed this question by surveying 3,589 optometrists registered to practise in Australia and New Zealand. A 16-item questionnaire was made available for completion online. Results: Responses from the 279 optometrists who completed the questionnaire (response rate 7.8 per cent) indicate that, after the patient's history, symptoms and signs, optometrists in our sample place most weight on knowledge and information gained via undergraduate and postgraduate education, including continuing education, as a basis for clinical decision-making. Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for current, critically evaluated content in optometric education and suggest that optometrists currently prefer to receive information and knowledge from an educator rather than sourcing and assessing the material independently.