Table 3.

Comparison of Chinese clinical practice guideline recommendations to survey responses.

Recommendation no.a	Chinese TED guideline recommendations	Survey concordance		P
		Endocrinologists	Ophthalmologists
2	TED should be categorized based on its level of activity and severity.	85.36%	85.25%	NS
3	The classification of TED activity period should be based on both CAS and imaging examinations.	49.09%	62.90%	<0.05
4	It is recommended to establish a multidisciplinary approach for the diagnosis and treatment of TED	42.42%	29.03%	<0.05
5	It is suggested to assess the effectiveness of treatment for TED by combining patient self-reporting (QOL) and objective measures reported by the doctor.	72.73%	47.58%	<0.001
6	It is advised that TED patients quit smoking and control other risk factors.	63.48%b	33.86%b	<0.001
10	Patients suffering from TED should undergo continuous ocular surface support therapy throughout the entire duration of their condition.	97.58%	100%	NS
11	Intravenous glucocorticoids therapy is regarded as the primary treatment for patients with moderate, severe, and extremely severe cases of TED.	94.55%	95.16%	NS
18	For patients who have been inactive or stable for at least 6 months, surgical treatment can be chosen.	28.48%	70.16%	<0.001
21	In cases of TED complicated by DON, prompt initiation of high-dose intravenous glucocorticoid for 1–2 weeks is recommended. If there is no improvement, surgical intervention should be considered.	27.88%	61.29%	<0.001

^aRepresents the number in the Chinese guideline (13) on the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy; ^bRepresents the percentage of respondents who took into account all the involved risk factors in the questionnaire at the same time.

TED, thyroid eye disease; CAS, clinical activity score; QOL, quality of life; DON, dysthyroid optic neuropathy.