Knowledge and Practice of Fundoscopy among Medical Doctors in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Many clinical entities manifest early characteristic changes in the fundus of the eye. The value of fundoscopy cannot be overemphasized and every medical doctor is expected to be able to use the ophthalmoscope to detect common pathological changes. However, more often than not fundoscopy is seen as an exclusive specialized skill of the ophthalmologist. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate knowledge and practice of fundoscopy among the physicians present at the . Twenty-eight percent of the study participants had good knowledge of fundoscopy while only 15% had good practice. Seventy eight physicians representing 62.4% of the participants could correctly refer patients with the need for fundoscopy to an ophthalmologist, whereas 11 (8.8%) worked in facilities without basic instrument for fundoscopy (ophthalmoscope). Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that knowledge and practice of fundoscopy among medical practitioners in Port Harcourt is poor and far from ideal. Therefore, refresher courses emphasizing the acquisition of the skill in fundoscopy and the provision of ophthalmoscopes in our General Practitioners' clinics are necessary.

Knowledge and practices of fundoscopy among general practitioners in Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia, for the management of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema: A cross-sectional study

“…Seventy-eight GPs showed good knowledge of referring the patient to ophthalmologist, while 11 of them worked in facilities where no fundoscopy was available. 28 In this study, the GPs working all over Qassim region were randomly selected and were asked to fill a questionnaire. Of all the selected GPs, the majority of them (79.2%) returned the filled questionnaire.…”