Validation of a first-visit questionnaire for the management of uveitis patients
What:
Paper Presentation | Présentation d'article
Part of:
When:
4:22 PM, Friday 1 Jun 2018
(12 minutes)
Where:
How:
Authors: Andrei F. Dan, Christian El-Hadad, Eric Fortin, Karin Oliver
Author Disclosure Block: A.F. Dan: Employment/honoraria/consulting fees; Name of Commercial Company(s); ZenXMed. C. El-Hadad: None. E. Fortin: Grant/research support; Name of Commercial Company(s); AbbVie,Allergan. Employment/honoraria/consulting fees; Name of Commercial Company(s); AbbVie, Allergan, Alcon/Novartis. K. Oliver: None.
Abstract Body:
Purpose: First-visit questionnaires for uveitis patients have previously been suggested as tools. These questionnaires are compressive medical histories and reviews of systems that are 5 pages in length and have over 100 questions, making them a challenge to complete. To our knowledge, no studies to date have validated such a questionnaire both in terms of appropriateness nor have they assessed whether or not a patient can accurately complete it. In this study, we aim to validate a first-visit questionnaire for the management of uveitis patients that we have been using at the McGill Academic Eye Center.
Study Design: 2 part study; a survey of Canadian Uveitis specialists asking for their opinions of the questionnaire and a retrospective chart review assessing the accuracy of the completed questionnaires in our clinic.
Methods: The survey of uveitis specialists had 10 total questions regarding the following 3 areas of interest: is the questionnaire appropriate in terms of content and format, would it impact management and how would you administer it. The retrospective chart review assessed at 51 sequential patients who completed the questionnaires on their own without assistance from a medical professional. Questionnaires were cross-referenced with the clinical interview and medical history from the chart for accuracy.
Results: 13 uveitis specialists responded to the initial survey. More than 90% of respondents found the questionnaire to be appropriate in terms of clarity and content and agreed that the answers on this questionnaire would impact work-up and management. 69% of respondents said that the questionnaire covered material that they normally would not in an interview. 85% felt comfortable for a patient to complete the form on their own, and less than 40% would go over the form directly or have an assistant go over the form with a patient. In our retrospective chart review, 50/51 sequential patients successfully completed the questionnaire (1 did not due to a language barrier). When compared with the medical charts, patients had a mean error rate of 1.6 errors (range 0-10). Patients made more errors in the family history and non-medical history section (0.75 mean errors) as opposed to the personal medical history or review of systems sections (0.43 mean errors and 0.45 means errors respectively).
Conclusions: We have demonstrated agreement among uveitis specialists that this is an appropriate screening questionnaire for uveitis patients and evidence that it may complement the interview. Despite the complexity of the questionnaire, most patients were able to complete it accurately without the assistance of a medical professional. We recommend all ophthalmologist assessing uveitis patients to considering using such a questionnaire at the first visit.
Author Disclosure Block: A.F. Dan: Employment/honoraria/consulting fees; Name of Commercial Company(s); ZenXMed. C. El-Hadad: None. E. Fortin: Grant/research support; Name of Commercial Company(s); AbbVie,Allergan. Employment/honoraria/consulting fees; Name of Commercial Company(s); AbbVie, Allergan, Alcon/Novartis. K. Oliver: None.
Abstract Body:
Purpose: First-visit questionnaires for uveitis patients have previously been suggested as tools. These questionnaires are compressive medical histories and reviews of systems that are 5 pages in length and have over 100 questions, making them a challenge to complete. To our knowledge, no studies to date have validated such a questionnaire both in terms of appropriateness nor have they assessed whether or not a patient can accurately complete it. In this study, we aim to validate a first-visit questionnaire for the management of uveitis patients that we have been using at the McGill Academic Eye Center.
Study Design: 2 part study; a survey of Canadian Uveitis specialists asking for their opinions of the questionnaire and a retrospective chart review assessing the accuracy of the completed questionnaires in our clinic.
Methods: The survey of uveitis specialists had 10 total questions regarding the following 3 areas of interest: is the questionnaire appropriate in terms of content and format, would it impact management and how would you administer it. The retrospective chart review assessed at 51 sequential patients who completed the questionnaires on their own without assistance from a medical professional. Questionnaires were cross-referenced with the clinical interview and medical history from the chart for accuracy.
Results: 13 uveitis specialists responded to the initial survey. More than 90% of respondents found the questionnaire to be appropriate in terms of clarity and content and agreed that the answers on this questionnaire would impact work-up and management. 69% of respondents said that the questionnaire covered material that they normally would not in an interview. 85% felt comfortable for a patient to complete the form on their own, and less than 40% would go over the form directly or have an assistant go over the form with a patient. In our retrospective chart review, 50/51 sequential patients successfully completed the questionnaire (1 did not due to a language barrier). When compared with the medical charts, patients had a mean error rate of 1.6 errors (range 0-10). Patients made more errors in the family history and non-medical history section (0.75 mean errors) as opposed to the personal medical history or review of systems sections (0.43 mean errors and 0.45 means errors respectively).
Conclusions: We have demonstrated agreement among uveitis specialists that this is an appropriate screening questionnaire for uveitis patients and evidence that it may complement the interview. Despite the complexity of the questionnaire, most patients were able to complete it accurately without the assistance of a medical professional. We recommend all ophthalmologist assessing uveitis patients to considering using such a questionnaire at the first visit.
