Back to Journals » Clinical Ophthalmology » Volume 5

Needs assessment of ophthalmology education for primary care physicians in training: comparison with the International Council of Ophthalmology recommendations

Authors Chan, Rai, Lee, Glicksman, Hutnik C

Published 3 March 2011 Volume 2011:5 Pages 311—319

DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/OPTH.S17567

Review by Single anonymous peer review

Peer reviewer comments 3



Toby YB Chan1, Amandeep S Rai2, Edwin Lee2, Jordan T Glicksman3, Cindy ML Hutnik1
1Ivey Eye Institute, Department of Ophthalmology, 2Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, 3Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada

Background: This cross-sectional survey assessed the adequacy of ophthalmology teaching in undergraduate medical education and evaluated the comfort level of family medicine residents in diagnosing and managing common ophthalmic conditions.
Methods: Postgraduate year 1 and 2 family medicine residents at the University of Western Ontario were recruited for this study. The main outcome measures were hours of classroom and clinic-based instruction on ophthalmology during undergraduate medical education, and the comfort level in ophthalmic clinical skills and managing various ophthalmic conditions.
Results: In total, 54 (33.3%) of 162 family medicine residents responded to the survey. Residents reported an average of 27.1 ± 35.1 hours and 39.8 ± 47.1 hours of classroom and clinical ophthalmology instruction, respectively. However, most residents (80%) responded as feeling only "somewhat comfortable" or "not at all comfortable" in assessing and managing common ophthalmic conditions, including ocular emergencies, such as acute angle closure glaucoma and ocular chemical burn. A positive correlation was seen between overall comfort level and hours of classroom instruction (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: The number of hours of ophthalmology training received by family medicine residents during medical school meets the International Council of Ophthalmology Task Force recommendations. However, family medicine residents appear to be uncomfortable in handling treatable but potentially sight-threatening ocular conditions. Standardizing the undergraduate medical education ophthalmology curriculum and increasing hours of ophthalmology training during postgraduate family medicine residency may be useful in bridging this gap in knowledge.

Keywords: medical education, ophthalmology, needs assessment, primary care

Creative Commons License © 2011 The Author(s). This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License. By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.