Family Practice Vol. 19, No. 6, 658-660
© Oxford University Press 2002
How do GPs diagnose and manage acute infective conjunctivitis? A GP survey
a Community Clinical Sciences (CCS) Division, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Biological Sciences, Southampton University and
b Primary Medical Care, Aldermoor Health Centre, Southampton, UK.
Dr Everitt, Primary Medical Care, Aldermoor Health Centre, Aldermoor Close, Southampton SO15 6ST, UK; E-mail: hae1{at}soton.ac.uk
Objective. To determine GPs’ diagnosis and management of acute infective conjunctivitis (AIC)—one of the commonest but least researched acute infections seen in primary care.
Methods. A postal questionnaire survey of 300 GPs from two Health Authorities in Southern England.
Results. 236 (78%) GPs returned the questionnaire. 92% of those responding felt confident or very confident in the diagnosis of AIC. 95% usually prescribe topical antibiotics for AIC despite 58% stating that they thought at least half of the cases they see are viral in origin and only 36% believing that they could discriminate between bacterial and viral infection. There was considerable variability in GPs’ use of individual signs to make the diagnosis of AIC (from 99% using eye discharge to 31% using conjunctival oedema) and in the features used to discriminate viral from bacterial infection (from 87% using type of discharge to 47% using amount of discharge). GPs rarely perform eye swabs or give patient information leaflets to patients with AIC.
Conclusion. Most GPs still prescribe topical antibiotics for most cases of AIC—a condition where only half of the cases are likely to be due to a bacterial infection, and even bacterial infections are self-limiting. Further research is needed to explore the potential benefits and disadvantages of topical antibiotics, and to develop clinical or microbiological methods to help GPs to target antibiotic prescription.
Keywords. Acute infective conjunctivitis, management, diagnosis.
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