Quantifying Clinicians' Diagnostic Uncertainty When Making Initial Treatment Decisions for Microbial Keratitis.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

There is a need to understand physicians' diagnostic uncertainty in the initial management of microbial keratitis (MK). This study aimed to understand corneal specialists' diagnostic uncertainty by establishing risk thresholds for treatment of MK that could be used to inform a decision curve analysis for prediction modeling.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of corneal specialists with at least 2 years clinical experience was conducted. Clinicians provided the percentage risk at which they would always or never treat MK types (bacterial, fungal, herpetic, and amoebic) based on initial ulcer sizes and locations (<2 mm 2 central, <2 mm 2 peripheral, and >8 mm 2 central).

Results

Seventy-two of 99 ophthalmologists participated who were 50% female with an average o

SUBMITTER: Hicks PM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10106525 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature