Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Ethiopian Pediatricians concerning Childhood Eye Diseases
Background: Eye examination and vision assessment are vital for the detection of conditions that result in blindness. Childhood blindness seriously impacts the development, education, and future employment opportunities of affected children. Pediatricians’ knowledge of eye diseases is critical for the prevention of blindness through early diagnosis, allowing proper treatment and identification of conditions requiring referral to an ophthalmologist to preserve or restore vision. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Ethiopian pediatricians concerning childhood eye diseases.
Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional descriptive study of pediatricians working in various hospitals and clinics in Ethiopia. Participants were selected via a convenient sampling technique. Data were collected using both closed and open-ended semi-structured questionnaires. Responses were entered into EpiData 3.1 and transferred to SPSS version 21.0 software for analysis.
Results: A total of 79 pediatricians participated in the study. Our findings showed that the attitude of all but 2 participants towards improving the management of childhood eye diseases was positive, even though this was not reflected in actual knowledge or practice. Even though attitudes were positive, knowledge was often poor and practice inadequate owing to barriers such as inadequate undergraduate training, lack of ophthalmology options during pediatric residency, and unavailability of ophthalmic equipment.
Conclusions: Participants’ attitudes towards improving treatment for childhood eye diseases are positive, but their insufficient knowledge of eye diseases makes their practice poor in this respect.
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Appendix: Questionnaires
Posted 14 Jan, 2021
On 05 Jan, 2021
On 04 Jan, 2021
On 04 Jan, 2021
On 04 Jan, 2021
On 03 Jan, 2021
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 08 Dec, 2020
On 07 Dec, 2020
Received 07 Dec, 2020
Invitations sent on 06 Dec, 2020
On 02 Dec, 2020
On 02 Dec, 2020
On 02 Dec, 2020
On 01 Nov, 2020
Received 29 Oct, 2020
On 05 Aug, 2020
On 15 Jul, 2020
Received 15 Jul, 2020
On 07 Jun, 2020
Invitations sent on 07 Jun, 2020
On 06 Jun, 2020
On 06 Jun, 2020
On 28 May, 2020
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Ethiopian Pediatricians concerning Childhood Eye Diseases
Posted 14 Jan, 2021
On 05 Jan, 2021
On 04 Jan, 2021
On 04 Jan, 2021
On 04 Jan, 2021
On 03 Jan, 2021
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 21 Dec, 2020
On 08 Dec, 2020
On 07 Dec, 2020
Received 07 Dec, 2020
Invitations sent on 06 Dec, 2020
On 02 Dec, 2020
On 02 Dec, 2020
On 02 Dec, 2020
On 01 Nov, 2020
Received 29 Oct, 2020
On 05 Aug, 2020
On 15 Jul, 2020
Received 15 Jul, 2020
On 07 Jun, 2020
Invitations sent on 07 Jun, 2020
On 06 Jun, 2020
On 06 Jun, 2020
On 28 May, 2020
Background: Eye examination and vision assessment are vital for the detection of conditions that result in blindness. Childhood blindness seriously impacts the development, education, and future employment opportunities of affected children. Pediatricians’ knowledge of eye diseases is critical for the prevention of blindness through early diagnosis, allowing proper treatment and identification of conditions requiring referral to an ophthalmologist to preserve or restore vision. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Ethiopian pediatricians concerning childhood eye diseases.
Methods: We carried out a cross-sectional descriptive study of pediatricians working in various hospitals and clinics in Ethiopia. Participants were selected via a convenient sampling technique. Data were collected using both closed and open-ended semi-structured questionnaires. Responses were entered into EpiData 3.1 and transferred to SPSS version 21.0 software for analysis.
Results: A total of 79 pediatricians participated in the study. Our findings showed that the attitude of all but 2 participants towards improving the management of childhood eye diseases was positive, even though this was not reflected in actual knowledge or practice. Even though attitudes were positive, knowledge was often poor and practice inadequate owing to barriers such as inadequate undergraduate training, lack of ophthalmology options during pediatric residency, and unavailability of ophthalmic equipment.
Conclusions: Participants’ attitudes towards improving treatment for childhood eye diseases are positive, but their insufficient knowledge of eye diseases makes their practice poor in this respect.