Family Physicians' Knowledge and Perceived Confidence with Clinical Ophthalmology.

Abstract

Purpose: Ophthalmology poses challenges for general practitioners, who have been identified globally as receiving inadequate training. Family medicine (FM) trainees often lack sufficient ophthalmology training; however, this issue is not unique to Saudi Arabia. Studies from Australia, the United States of America, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have revealed the same concerns. Patient consultations offer opportunities for applying skills gained through structured education, yet the extent of FM trainees' clinical exposure to ophthalmology remains unclear. Effective workshops designed to enhance primary healthcare providers' ophthalmic skills exist internationally, but similar initiatives are lacking in Saudi Arabia.

Patients and methods: This one-year, cross-sectional study distributed a self-administered online questionnaire among family physicians and residents in a university hospital and the hospital's medical services center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data were inspected and cleaned in Excel and analyzed using IBM SPSS 29.

Results: The ophthalmology knowledge of family physicians averaged 5.1 on a scale of 1-10, suggesting moderate proficiency. Exposure to ophthalmology cases varied, indicating potential knowledge gaps and necessitating targeted educational interventions. Notably, 82.5% of the physicians believed that family physicians should lead the primary eye care by assuming responsibility for ensuring high levels of training and practice. Our study identified predictors influencing knowledge and confidence, including the effects of experience, training duration, and recognition of the necessity of continuous professional development courses. However, none of these associations were found to be statistically significant.

Conclusion: The physicians in our study exhibited a moderate level of ophthalmology knowledge (mean score = 5.1), revealing potential knowledge gaps. Despite their varied exposure to ophthalmology, 82.5% of the family physicians in this study advocated leading the medical profession in primary eye care. Experience and training duration were found to be non-significant predictors of knowledge and confidence.