Glaucoma prescribing trends in Australia and New Zealand

Autor: Brent J Gaskin, Ivan Goldberg, Stuart C Carroll, Helen V. Danesh-Meyer
Rok vydání: 2006
Předmět:
Zdroj: Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. 34:213-218
ISSN: 1442-9071
1442-6404
DOI: 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2006.01196.x
Popis: Purpose: To summarize current practice styles and patterns associated with glaucoma management in ophthalmologists of Australia and New Zealand as derived from a survey. Method: A questionnaire was sent to all Australian and New Zealand ophthalmologists, which anonymously assessed demographic characteristics and prescribing patterns for each major class of glaucoma medication. Results: A total of 761 questionnaires were sent with a response rate of 51%. Of respondents 14% were glaucoma subspecialists. In 69%, the first-line drug-class of choice was a prostaglandin analogue. New Zealand ophthalmologists favoured beta-blockers as their first-line agent because of cost, government restrictions and familiarity. Most respondents stated ‘hypotensive efficacy’ as the most important factor in class choice. Alpha-2-agonists, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors and miotics were considered second-line agents, because of side-effects and lack of hypotensive potency. Conclusions: The choice of first-line agent for the treatment of glaucoma differed between Australian and New Zealand ophthalmologists, in part as the result of government restriction of prostaglandin-class drugs. Practice patterns seen in Australasia parallel the current evidence base reported in peer-reviewed literature.
Databáze: OpenAIRE