Matt Lee1,6, Jesse Gale2, Michelle Gajus3, Suki Sandhu4, Deepesh Mehta5

Purpose: To describe the range of techniques and consumable materials used by RANZCO Fellows for intravitreal injections (IVI) in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.
Method: An online survey of RANZCO Fellows (population ~1100 active Fellows) was performed using the Zoho Survey platform, with three reminder emails over a three-week survey period in May 2022. The study was anonymous, voluntary and ethically approved by the RANZCO human ethics committee.
Results: A total of 379 of 1140 fellows participated (~33% of cohort) in the online survey. This survey finds that there are 4-11% of users who are performing IVIs in a theatre setting and has demonstrated that their use of operating theatres for IVI is associated with more than twice the amount of personal protective equipment than those in office-based and procedure rooms. This study also found that use of a customised IVI pack resulted in an approximately 60% increase in the number of single-use disposable items. A large majority (78.4%) of responders reported sterile minims for topical anaesthetic, with 61% using a single minim per patient. Only 24.6% of respondents stated they used antibiotics post injection.
Conclusion: There is variation in technique and consumption for IVIs across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. This study empowers ophthalmologists to think about how their techniques can be modified to reduce single-use item consumption, while maintaining safety and quality evidence-based practice, to reduce costs and the environmental impact.