Perceived standard of care by practitioners in different optometric settings

Optometry is a diverse profession with many modes of practice. The setting in which the Optometrist practices is perceived by many practitioners to influence the type of examination and specific procedures performed on each patient. This research project surveys optometrists in the following modes of practice: Health Maintenance Organization, Private Practice, Military, Retail/Commercial, and Academia. The goal was to examine specific procedures done on patients to determine if there was a significant difference in examination thoroughness between modes of practice. Surveys consisting of three common practice scenarios listing specific procedures were distributed to 100 optometrists in the above modes across the United States. Results were tabulated and analyzed revealing both similarities and differences between each of the individual modes of practice. Although slight differences were found, they were more in the area of emphasis of examination, rather than in standard of care. Thus, in all likelihood, with individual exceptions, the standard of care is roughly equal in all modes of optometry practice