Do General Practitioners have Sufficient Knowledge and Skills in Using Direct Ophthalmoscope? A Survey on General Practitioners of Northern Iran

Background: The goal of this study was to determine the knowledge of general practitioners regarding direct ophthalmoscopy and its frequency of use in the hopes of designing future programs for improving educational methods and fixing possible educational shortcomings. Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, general practitioners were asked to fill out a questionnaire in their working place. Overall, ۲۴۴ physicians were chosen randomly from a list of working physicians in Rasht, Iran, which were documented in the medical system. Results: In total, ۶۱.۷% of the general practitioners in our study never used the ophthalmoscope, and ۵۶.۶% stated that they have little mastery of ophthalmoscope work. The reasons for not using an ophthalmoscope based on the statements of the general practitioners under study were unavailability in ۵۱.۶۷%, low mastery in ۲۸.۱۸%, lack of feeling needed for the general practitioner in ۲۶.۱۷%, and insufficient opportunity in ۹.۳۹%. Up to ۸۴% of the physicians surveyed stated that more education was needed for medical students in this field. Comparing the baseline characteristics between the two groups with and without using ophthalmoscope indicated that the use of this tool was overall higher in men than in women, in age range higher than ۳۰ years, in the graduates of the University of Tehran compared to other graduates, in those with more time out of university, and in those who were working in private offices relative to government centers. The physicians who reported greater mastery of working with the tool were also more likely to use it.  About ۸۴% of physicians emphasized needing more education to use this tool properly. Conclusion: General practitioners in Rasht use ophthalmoscope infrequently, and over half of them do not have enough skills to use it. Practical training during medical students' externship and internship seems to be helpful in solving this problem. Improving educational curricula and providing ophthalmoscopes for doctors' working places, especially in public service, can improve the knowledge, proficiency, and use of ophthalmoscopes among physicians.