Knowledge and Practices in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Corneal Infections by Nepalese Pharmaceutical Shop Workers

Medical shops in Nepal are a main point of treatment for many diseases including ophthalmic conditions. We sought to evaluate pharmaceutical shop worker knowledge of corneal ulcers and abrasions. A pharmaceutical shop worker from each of 117 different pharmacies surrounding Bharatpur, Nepal, was pre...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene 2020-10, Vol.103 (4), p.1694-1696
Main Authors:	Bhandari, Sadhan, Nesemann, John M, Kandel, Ram Prasad, Poudyal, Bimal, Bhandari, Gopal, Byanju, Raghunandan, Shrestha, Riju, Ramirez, David A, O'Brien, Kieran S, M Lietman, Thomas, Keenan, Jeremy D
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Administration, Topical Adult Cornea Corneal Diseases - diagnosis Corneal Diseases - drug therapy Corneal Diseases - pathology Corneal Injuries - diagnosis Corneal Injuries - drug therapy Corneal Injuries - pathology Female Humans Male Middle Aged Nepal Pharmaceutical Preparations Pharmaceuticals Ulcers
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Summary:	Medical shops in Nepal are a main point of treatment for many diseases including ophthalmic conditions. We sought to evaluate pharmaceutical shop worker knowledge of corneal ulcers and abrasions. A pharmaceutical shop worker from each of 117 different pharmacies surrounding Bharatpur, Nepal, was presented four different eye photographs (i.e., corneal ulcer, corneal abrasion, conjunctivitis, and a normal eye) and asked about diagnosis and management. Of 117 participants, 86 (74%) identified conjunctivitis correctly but few were able to identify corneal abrasion (50/117; 43%) or corneal infection (47/117; 40%). When presented with an illustrated diagram of potential medications to dispense, 15 (13%) participants chose a topical medication containing a corticosteroid for the corneal abrasion and 25 (21%) did so for the corneal ulcer. The appropriate use of corticosteroids for external eye infections is an important topic for additional training, given the potential for these medications to worsen corneal abrasions and ulcers.
ISSN:	0002-9637 1476-1645