Proficiency of clinical skills of optometrists in Pakistan

Abstract

Background: As primary eye care providers, optometrists play a crucial role in meeting the public's requirements for eye health. The clinical competency of optometrists is of utmost importance in Pakistan, as eye care services are crucial due to the high prevalence of visual impairments.

Objectives: To compare the current clinical practices of Pakistani optometrists with internationally recognized WCO core competencies.

Methods: The research protocol was approved by the Ethical Review Board of the College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences, Lahore (1468:23). A questionnaire-based comparative cross-sectional study was carried out in the College of Ophthalmology and Allied Vision Sciences, Mayo Hospital, Lahore, from June 2023 to November 2023. The size of the obtained sample was 55 which is based on the formula have a confidence interval (95%), clinical skills in previous research (3.7%), and precision (5%). 55 optometrists were selected using a non-probability purposive sampling technique. The inclusion criteria were optometrists practicing in Pakistan, and the exclusion criteria were optometrists who do not practice. A Questionnaire was formed on Google Forms and filled out by qualified optometrists.  P-value was calculated by using a T-test.

Results: The quantitative analysis showed statistically significant gaps across various clinical domains(p-value<0.05). In identifying vitreous and fundus only 3.6% were highly proficient, with a p-value 0.000. Similarly, only 3.6% demonstrated high proficiency in interpreting diagnostic reports. Visual acuity measurement and history-taking showed relatively better performance (78.2% were moderately proficient in visual acuity measurement and history-taking).

Conclusion: Pakistani optometrists’ clinical skills partially meet WCO core competency standards but require improvement.