Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Observational
Official Title: Independent Prescribing Optometrists in Acute Ophthalmic Services
Brief Summary:
The UK government's Crown report titled 'Review of prescribing, supply & administration of medicines' enabled optometrists to train for the qualification of independent prescribing (IP). The UK introduced IP for optometrists in 2009. The proposed research focuses on the role of IP optometrist in the acute ophthalmic services of Manchester Royal Eye Hospital (MREH). The study will compare IP optometrists to consultant ophthalmologists in the ability to diagnose, manage and prescribe medication for patients accessing these services.
To achieve this comparison consenting participants will first have a clinical assessment with the IP Optometrist, where findings including diagnosis and management plan will be recorded onto a research proforma. The consultant ophthalmologist will be masked to the IP Optometrist's research proforma to prevent bias. The consultant ophthalmologist will then perform a clinical assessment on a second proforma and inform the participant of their diagnosis and management plan. Percentage agreement, kappa (κ) and weighted κ will be calculated for a range of parameters between the two proformas. Disagreement in diagnosis or management will be arbitrated by a separate ophthalmologist participating in the study with a specialty relevant to the participant's condition.
The main objective of the research is to expand the limited base of evidence of of IP optometrists' ability to diagnose, manage and prescribe medication and to determine whether they work at least as safely and effectively as consultant ophthalmologists in acute ophthalmic services. It is the first study in this area since the advent of IP for optometrists, with only one previous study published before IP was introduced. The research will enable the type and frequency of conditions presenting in these services to be measured. Fu