Akkawi Mohammad T, Qaddumi Jamal A S, Issa Hala R M, Yaseen Liana J K
Department of Special Surgeries, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University Hospital, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
BMC Ophthalmol. 2018 Aug 13;18(1):195. doi: 10.1186/s12886-018-0876-1.
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a disorder of the developing retina of preterm infants due to defective vasculogenesis. The aim of the study was to analyze the level of awareness, knowledge, attitude and practice of pediatricians about ROP in the West Bank, Palestine.
A questionnaire was designed on the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) pattern. The questionnaire included questions about pediatrician's educational and practicing profile, knowledge of screening guidelines, risk factors for ROP, referral facilities and barriers for referral. The questionnaire was given to70 practicing specialists and residents in hospitals having neonatal intensive care units in the West Bank, Palestine. It was a self-administered questionnaire, collected between November 2016 and February 2017.
A total of 70 pediatricians from 11 different hospitals without ROP screening service participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 33.04 ± 7.74. Of which, 62.9% were males and 37.1% were females. Fifty-nine (84.3%) answered that ROP is preventable, while 11 (15.7%) responded that ROP is not preventable. Nine (12.9%) pediatricians had no idea as to which part of the eye is affected in ROP. Among the participants, 29 (41.4%) did not know when ROP screening should be started. Sixty-three (90%) pediatricians were sure that ROP is treatable. Regarding barriers for ROP screening, 'ophthalmologist not available' reason was expressed by 37.1% (26/70), 'discharge person not writing' by 20% (14/70) and 'parents not agreeing' by 18.6% (13/70) of the participants. Knowledge on the use of laser as a treatment modality of ROP was shown by 39 (55.7%) participants, and the use of anti-VEGF was shown by 6 (8.6%) participants, whereas 25 (35.7%) of the participants didn't know about the treatment modalities.
The study findings suggest that a large majority of pediatricians were aware of ROP as a preventable disease, but had less information about ROP screening guidelines and service delivery. The study suggests the need to increase the awareness of pediatricians by dissemination of information about ROP and creating a close coordination between them and ophthalmologists to address barriers for service delivery in Palestine.
早产儿视网膜病变（ROP）是一种由于血管生成缺陷导致的早产儿视网膜发育障碍疾病。本研究旨在分析巴勒斯坦约旦河西岸地区儿科医生对ROP的认知、知识、态度及实践水平。
设计了一份关于知识、态度和实践（KAP）模式的问卷。问卷包括有关儿科医生的教育和执业概况、筛查指南知识、ROP的危险因素、转诊机构及转诊障碍等问题。该问卷发放给了巴勒斯坦约旦河西岸地区设有新生儿重症监护病房的医院的70名执业专科医生和住院医生。这是一份自填式问卷，于2016年11月至2017年2月期间收集。
共有来自11家不同医院且无ROP筛查服务的70名儿科医生参与了研究。参与者的平均年龄为33.04 ± 7.74岁。其中，男性占62.9%，女性占37.1%。59名（84.3%）回答ROP是可预防的，而11名（15.7%）回答ROP不可预防。9名（12.9%）儿科医生不知道ROP影响眼睛的哪个部位。在参与者中，29名（41.4%）不知道ROP筛查应何时开始。63名（90%）儿科医生确定ROP是可治疗的。关于ROP筛查的障碍，37.1%（26/70）的参与者提到“没有眼科医生”，20%（14/70）提到“出院记录未填写”，18.6%（13/70）提到“家长不同意”。39名（55.7%）参与者了解激光作为ROP治疗方式的应用，6名（8.6%）参与者了解抗血管内皮生长因子（anti-VEGF）的应用，而25名（35.7%）参与者不知道治疗方式。
研究结果表明，绝大多数儿科医生知道ROP是一种可预防的疾病，但对ROP筛查指南和服务提供方面的信息了解较少。该研究表明，需要通过传播ROP相关信息来提高儿科医生的认识，并在他们与眼科医生之间建立密切协调，以解决巴勒斯坦地区服务提供方面的障碍。
