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The Education, Screening, and Referral Practices of Pediatricians Surrounding Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment
John D Rogers1, Harlan R Sayles2, Richard H Legge1
1Ophthalmology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, USA.
Insights
Pediatricians show low awareness of cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI) and limited screening practices. Brief, educational tools could improve CVI detection in at-risk children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Ophthalmology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Timely recognition of pediatric cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI) relies on effective screening and referral.
- Pediatricians' current knowledge and practices regarding CVI are not well-understood.
- There is a need for improved tools and education to address CVI in pediatric care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess pediatricians' education levels on CVI.
- To evaluate current visual dysfunction screening and referral practices for CVI.
- To gauge pediatrician interest in hypothetical CVI screening tools of varying lengths.
Main Methods:
- A 60-question survey was developed to assess CVI knowledge, practices, and tool preferences.
- The survey was emailed to 396 pediatricians in Nebraska, with 89 responses analyzed.
- Methods included multiple-choice, select-all-that-apply, Likert-type, and free-response questions.
Main Results:
- Low levels of CVI education and awareness were reported among surveyed pediatricians.
- Limited visual dysfunction screening was observed during visits for children at risk for CVI.
- Pediatricians expressed interest in additional CVI education and preferred brief screening tools (≤2 minutes), including mobile applications.
Conclusions:
- Enhanced CVI education for pediatricians is recommended to improve early detection.
- Developing brief, practical CVI screening tools may increase their adoption by pediatricians.
- Further research is needed to confirm if these interventions lead to increased clinical screening and earlier CVI diagnosis.
Abstract:
Introduction The timely recognition of pediatric cerebral/cortical visual impairment (CVI) often depends on appropriate screening and referral practices. The purpose of this study was to evaluate pediatricians' CVI education levels, visual dysfunction screening and referral practices, and potential use of hypothetical screening tools of varying lengths. The findings were intended to provide new insights into CVI screening among pediatricians and inform the development of more effective CVI screening tools. Methods A 60-question survey comprising multiple-choice, select-all-that-apply, Likert-type, and free-response questions was developed. The questions assessed pediatricians' general practice information, CVI education, visual dysfunction screening and referral practices, and the intended use of theoretical screening tools of varying lengths. The survey was distributed individually via email to all 396 pediatricians in Nebraska. Eighty-nine responses were analyzed. Results Our study revealed low levels of CVI education and awareness among respondents, along with limited visual dysfunction screening during many visits for children at risk for CVI. At the same time, many respondents expressed strong interest in additional CVI education if it were available. Respondents reported greater intended use of hypothetical screening tools requiring no more than two minutes to administer. The majority of respondents also reported being somewhat or highly likely to use a hypothetical mobile screening application described in the survey. Conclusions Increasing CVI education for pediatricians may be warranted, and developing brief, practical CVI screening tools may improve their acceptability among pediatricians. These results may provide a framework for the future development of such tools; however, future studies are needed to determine whether these approaches translate into increased clinical screening and earlier diagnosis of CVI.
