Evaluation of knowledge, attitude, and behaviour of ophthalmologists about adenoviral conjunctivitis transmission and treatment an online survey for Turkish ophthalmologists

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of adenoviral conjunctivitis in Turkish ophthalmologists, to provide an overview of the treatment and prophylaxis of adenoviral conjunctivitis, and to analyze the data in the context of evidence-based treatment recommendations. Methods: An online questionnaire consisting of 20 multiple-choice questions about the characteristics of the respondents, the individual adenoviral conjunctivitis history of the ophthalmologists, their practice's approaches, and prescription preferences were emailed to Turkish ophthalmologists. Results: The survey was emailed to 500 ophthalmologists; 45% of them returned the questionnaire. According to the responses, the history of adenoviral conjunctivitis infections was positive in 46.7% (n: 120), recurrent attack prevalence was 16.2% in ophthalmologists. Lubricants (67.6%) are the most preferred first-line treatment options for adenoviral conjunctivitis, followed by povidone-iodine (59.6%), topical antibiotics (51.1%), topical antivirals (29.3%), topical corticosteroids (26.7%), and topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (19.6%). A total of 98.2% preferred to dismiss infected patients. The preferred prophylaxis options were frequent hand washing/use of gloves (97.8%), disinfection of medical devices (95.1%), isolation of infected patients (79.1%), hand hygiene with gemicides (58.7%). The percentage of single-dose eye drop selection was 46.2. Conclusions: The findings of this survey showed that most Turkish ophthalmologists generally follow international guidelines for the treatment of adenoviral conjunctivitis. The treatment algorithm is still controversial, so ophthalmologists should be aware of treatment guideline updates in line with evidence-based recommendations. Having sufficient knowledge of the basic characteristics of viruses is important to control the spread of the disease.