Pharmaceutical Prescribing Privileges for Optometrists to Combat Childhood Myopia in Singapore: Public Health Policy Review and Analysis
Singapore’s national myopia prevention efforts have largely focused on school vision screening and public education on outdoor activities in the past two decades. Given the emergence of evidence-based myopia interventions, this policy review and analysis investigates the potential benefits and drawb...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/12/1548 |
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| author | Tiong Peng Yap Masuma Pervin Mishu |
| author_facet | Tiong Peng Yap Masuma Pervin Mishu |
| author_sort | Tiong Peng Yap |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Singapore’s national myopia prevention efforts have largely focused on school vision screening and public education on outdoor activities in the past two decades. Given the emergence of evidence-based myopia interventions, this policy review and analysis investigates the potential benefits and drawbacks of optometrist prescribing privileges as it has been proposed to reduce the barriers to access effective interventions, such as combined therapy (e.g., orthokeratology treatment and low-dose atropine therapy). In this policy analysis, two policy options were identified to be feasible based on evidence from a systematic literature search and they were analysed along with status quo using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Policy Analysis Framework. This includes independent prescribing and supplementary prescribing, where the former entails autonomous clinical decision making, and the latter entails co-management with ophthalmological supervision. The policy review and analysis found independent prescribing the most favourable and concluded that this should be implemented in view of its benefits for the community. Public health impact is expected to be substantial due to increased patient access, reduced treatment costs, early interventions, improved treatment compliance, and reduced wait times and inconvenience. It is feasible because treatment processes can be streamlined, and it can be implemented based on existing collaborative prescribing frameworks. Economical and budgetary impact is also substantial given the direct savings generated, which can consequently help to reduce the disease burden. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1f3fc775cd6c49fd9b687c3bc6c64c21 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj-art-1f3fc775cd6c49fd9b687c3bc6c64c212024-12-27T14:18:02ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672024-12-011112154810.3390/children11121548Pharmaceutical Prescribing Privileges for Optometrists to Combat Childhood Myopia in Singapore: Public Health Policy Review and AnalysisTiong Peng Yap0Masuma Pervin Mishu1IGARD Paediatric Optometry and Vision Therapy Centre, Singapore 229469, SingaporeInstitute of Epidemiology and Healthcare, Faculty of Population Health Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UKSingapore’s national myopia prevention efforts have largely focused on school vision screening and public education on outdoor activities in the past two decades. Given the emergence of evidence-based myopia interventions, this policy review and analysis investigates the potential benefits and drawbacks of optometrist prescribing privileges as it has been proposed to reduce the barriers to access effective interventions, such as combined therapy (e.g., orthokeratology treatment and low-dose atropine therapy). In this policy analysis, two policy options were identified to be feasible based on evidence from a systematic literature search and they were analysed along with status quo using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Policy Analysis Framework. This includes independent prescribing and supplementary prescribing, where the former entails autonomous clinical decision making, and the latter entails co-management with ophthalmological supervision. The policy review and analysis found independent prescribing the most favourable and concluded that this should be implemented in view of its benefits for the community. Public health impact is expected to be substantial due to increased patient access, reduced treatment costs, early interventions, improved treatment compliance, and reduced wait times and inconvenience. It is feasible because treatment processes can be streamlined, and it can be implemented based on existing collaborative prescribing frameworks. Economical and budgetary impact is also substantial given the direct savings generated, which can consequently help to reduce the disease burden.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/12/1548myopiaevidence-based myopia interventionspublic health policy review |
| spellingShingle | Tiong Peng Yap Masuma Pervin Mishu Pharmaceutical Prescribing Privileges for Optometrists to Combat Childhood Myopia in Singapore: Public Health Policy Review and Analysis Children myopia evidence-based myopia interventions public health policy review |
| title | Pharmaceutical Prescribing Privileges for Optometrists to Combat Childhood Myopia in Singapore: Public Health Policy Review and Analysis |
| title_full | Pharmaceutical Prescribing Privileges for Optometrists to Combat Childhood Myopia in Singapore: Public Health Policy Review and Analysis |
| title_fullStr | Pharmaceutical Prescribing Privileges for Optometrists to Combat Childhood Myopia in Singapore: Public Health Policy Review and Analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pharmaceutical Prescribing Privileges for Optometrists to Combat Childhood Myopia in Singapore: Public Health Policy Review and Analysis |
| title_short | Pharmaceutical Prescribing Privileges for Optometrists to Combat Childhood Myopia in Singapore: Public Health Policy Review and Analysis |
| title_sort | pharmaceutical prescribing privileges for optometrists to combat childhood myopia in singapore public health policy review and analysis |
| topic | myopia evidence-based myopia interventions public health policy review |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/12/1548 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT tiongpengyap pharmaceuticalprescribingprivilegesforoptometriststocombatchildhoodmyopiainsingaporepublichealthpolicyreviewandanalysis AT masumapervinmishu pharmaceuticalprescribingprivilegesforoptometriststocombatchildhoodmyopiainsingaporepublichealthpolicyreviewandanalysis |