Management of acute optic neuritis: A survey of neurologists and ophthalmologists in Australia and New Zealand

Abstract Recent studies suggest that evidence-based medicine is not well translated into everyday practice. Studies of optic neuritis (ON) have generated clear treatment guidelines. Therefore, a survey was mailed to all Australian and New Zealand neurologists and ophthalmologists to evaluate the imp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical neuroscience 2008-12, Vol.15 (12), p.1340-1345
Main Authors: Lueck, Christian J, Danesh-Meyer, Helen V, Margrie, Faith J, Drews-Botsch, Carolyn, Calvetti, Olivier, Newman, Nancy J, Biousse, Valérie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adrenal Cortex Hormones - therapeutic use
Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use
Australia - epidemiology
Evidence based medicine
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Male
Neurology
Neurology - methods
Neurology - statistics & numerical data
New Zealand - epidemiology
Ophthalmology - methods
Ophthalmology - statistics & numerical data
Optic neuritis
Optic Neuritis - epidemiology
Optic Neuritis - therapy
Practice Patterns, Physicians' - classification
Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data
Questionnaire survey
Surveys and Questionnaires
Treatment
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Summary:Abstract Recent studies suggest that evidence-based medicine is not well translated into everyday practice. Studies of optic neuritis (ON) have generated clear treatment guidelines. Therefore, a survey was mailed to all Australian and New Zealand neurologists and ophthalmologists to evaluate the impact of recent studies on clinical practice. The response rate was 38.9%. Neurologists were more likely to use high dose corticosteroids and disease modifying agents (DMAs), and were more likely to be aware of relevant literature concerning DMAs. Both groups contained a significant minority of practitioners who would use corticosteroids for reasons not substantiated by available evidence. We conclude that most practitioners manage optic neuritis according to existing evidence and guidelines, but many do not. It is essential to instigate high-quality training programs to keep practitioners up-to-date, thereby optimising patient care and justifying the time and expense of large-scale clinical trials.
ISSN:0967-5868
1532-2653
DOI:10.1016/j.jocn.2008.01.014