MANAGEMENT OF EYE EMERGENCIES IN THE ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT BY SENIOR HOUSE OFFICERS - A NATIONAL SURVEY

Objective--To assess the training that accident and emergency (A&E) se nior house officers (SHOs) receive in dealing with eye emergencies, th eir own perceived level of confidence and competence in managing such cases, and the availability of appropriate equipment in their departme nts. Methods--Prospective telephone survey using a standardised struct ured questionnaire. One SHO from each United Kingdom A&E department Li sted in the BAEM directory of 1993 was chosen at random and interviewe d. Results--226 A&E departments were contacted and 192 SHOs were succe ssfully interviewed (response rate 84.9%); 26.0% received no training in the management of eye emergencies, 68.8% had only a little or no co nfidence in dealing with these cases, and 42.2% worked in A&E departme nts which had no slit lamp. Conclusions--There is a lack of adequate b asic ophthalmic training for A&E SHOs, leading to a lack of confidence on their part in the management of eye emergencies. In just over 40% of A&E departments in the United Kingdom, the management of these case s may be less than optimal because of the absence of a slit lamp.