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Comparing glaucoma medications and general demographics in a sample of glaucoma patients treated in private practice with nationwide registry data in Finland
Author(s) -
Parkkari Minna,
Taipale Joonas,
Uusitalo Hannu
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/aos.14338
Subject(s) - glaucoma , medicine , intraocular pressure , demographics , glaucoma medication , optometry , private practice , family medicine , pediatrics , ophthalmology , emergency medicine , demography , sociology
Abstract Purpose To investigate the outpatient glaucoma care provided by Finnish private ophthalmologists and to compare this information with the data obtained from national databases. Methods The data were collected by 13 investigators in 27 centres in southern Finland. Patient demography, relevant systemic diseases, possible history of ocular surgery, duration of glaucoma, intraocular pressure ( IOP ) and type of glaucoma were registered. Ocular hypertensive medication(s) used during the last 6 months were recorded using the generic name coded by the current ATC / DDD index. The data were compared with a dataset obtained from the IMS Health database and the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). Results In total, 568 patients from private ophthalmology clinics were included. Mean age was 70 years (range 30–90 years), and the mean duration of glaucoma was 8.3 years. In general, IOP control was good (mean 16.9 mmHg). The average cost of glaucoma treatment for a single study patient was 336 euros per year. The findings obtained from the survey were similar to those of the nationwide databases, although fewer of the more aggressive glaucoma cases were managed in the private clinics examined during the study. Conclusion The study patients were treated effectively by private ophthalmologist. Their medication and the cost of medication were the same as in public clinics. Patients with aggressive glaucoma seem to be generally managed by public hospitals.