Do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis? Results of the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 1996 the guideline 'The Red Eye' was first published by the Dutch College of General Practitioners. The extent to which general practitioners adhere to this guideline is unclear. Recently, data on the management of infec...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2007-09-01
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| Series: | BMC Family Practice |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2296/8/54 |
| _version_ | 1811228953549996032 |
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| author | Schellevis François G Bindels Patrick JE ter Riet Gerben Rietveld Remco P van Weert Henk CPM |
| author_facet | Schellevis François G Bindels Patrick JE ter Riet Gerben Rietveld Remco P van Weert Henk CPM |
| author_sort | Schellevis François G |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 1996 the guideline 'The Red Eye' was first published by the Dutch College of General Practitioners. The extent to which general practitioners adhere to this guideline is unclear. Recently, data on the management of infectious conjunctivitis by general practitioners became available from the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice. We measured the age-specific incidence of infectious conjunctivitis, described its management by Dutch general practitioners, and then compared these findings with the recommendations made in the guideline.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2001, over a 12-month period, data from all patient contacts with 195 general practitioners were taken from electronic medical records. Registration was episode-oriented; all consultations dealing with the same health problem were grouped into disease episodes. Data concerning all episodes of infectious conjunctivitis (ICPC-code F70 and sub codes) were analysed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over one year, 5,213 new and recurrent episodes of infectious conjunctivitis were presented to general practitioners from a population of N = 375,899, resulting in an overall incidence rate of 13.9 per 1000 person-years, varying from more than 80/1000 py in children up to one-year old, to less than 12/1000 py in children over the age of 4. Topical ophthalmic ointments were prescribed in 87% of the episodes, of which 80% was antibiotic treatment. Fusidic acid gel was most frequently prescribed (69%). In most episodes general practitioners did not adhere to the guideline.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In 2001, the management of infectious conjunctivitis by Dutch general practitioners was not in accordance with the recommendations of the consensus-based guideline published five years previously, despite its wide distribution. In 2006 this guideline was revised. Its successful implementation requires more than distribution alone. Probably the most effective way to achieve this is by following a model for systemic implementation.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T10:06:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-188e218aa08b4f8190f0ef32bb7fc944 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2296 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T10:06:14Z |
| publishDate | 2007-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Family Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-188e218aa08b4f8190f0ef32bb7fc9442022-12-22T03:37:26ZengBMCBMC Family Practice1471-22962007-09-01815410.1186/1471-2296-8-54Do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis? Results of the Second Dutch National Survey of General PracticeSchellevis François GBindels Patrick JEter Riet GerbenRietveld Remco Pvan Weert Henk CPM<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In 1996 the guideline 'The Red Eye' was first published by the Dutch College of General Practitioners. The extent to which general practitioners adhere to this guideline is unclear. Recently, data on the management of infectious conjunctivitis by general practitioners became available from the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice. We measured the age-specific incidence of infectious conjunctivitis, described its management by Dutch general practitioners, and then compared these findings with the recommendations made in the guideline.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2001, over a 12-month period, data from all patient contacts with 195 general practitioners were taken from electronic medical records. Registration was episode-oriented; all consultations dealing with the same health problem were grouped into disease episodes. Data concerning all episodes of infectious conjunctivitis (ICPC-code F70 and sub codes) were analysed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over one year, 5,213 new and recurrent episodes of infectious conjunctivitis were presented to general practitioners from a population of N = 375,899, resulting in an overall incidence rate of 13.9 per 1000 person-years, varying from more than 80/1000 py in children up to one-year old, to less than 12/1000 py in children over the age of 4. Topical ophthalmic ointments were prescribed in 87% of the episodes, of which 80% was antibiotic treatment. Fusidic acid gel was most frequently prescribed (69%). In most episodes general practitioners did not adhere to the guideline.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In 2001, the management of infectious conjunctivitis by Dutch general practitioners was not in accordance with the recommendations of the consensus-based guideline published five years previously, despite its wide distribution. In 2006 this guideline was revised. Its successful implementation requires more than distribution alone. Probably the most effective way to achieve this is by following a model for systemic implementation.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2296/8/54 |
| spellingShingle | Schellevis François G Bindels Patrick JE ter Riet Gerben Rietveld Remco P van Weert Henk CPM Do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis? Results of the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice BMC Family Practice |
| title | Do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis? Results of the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice |
| title_full | Do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis? Results of the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice |
| title_fullStr | Do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis? Results of the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis? Results of the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice |
| title_short | Do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis? Results of the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice |
| title_sort | do general practitioners adhere to the guideline on infectious conjunctivitis results of the second dutch national survey of general practice |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2296/8/54 |
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