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Toby YB Chan 1 268 grosvenor street, London, Ontario n6A 4V2, Canada
Tel +1 519 646 6272
Amandeep s rai 2 Fax +1 519 646 6410
edwin Lee 2 email cindy.hutnik@sjhc.london.on.ca
Jordan T glicksman 3
Cindy ML hutnik 1
1
ivey eye institute,
Department of
Ophthalmology, 2schulich
school of Medicine and
Dentistr y, 3 Department of
Otolar yngology and head and
neck surger y, University of
Western Ontario, London,
Ontario, Canada
Correspondence: Cindy ML
hutnik ivey eye institute, st.
Josephs
DOI:
hospital, which permits unrestricted noncommercial use, provided the original work
10.2147/OPTH.S17567
is properly cited.
Background: This cross- feeling only somewhat comfortable or not at all comfortable in assessing and managing
sectional survey assessed the common ophthalmic conditions, including ocular emergencies, such as acute angle closure
adequacy of ophthalmology teaching glaucoma and ocular chemical burn. A positive correlation was seen between overall
in undergraduate medical education comfort level and hours of classroom instruction (P , 0.05).
and evaluated the comfort level of Conclusion: The number of hours of ophthalmology training received by family
family medicine residents in medicine residents during medical school meets the International Council of Ophthalmology
diagnosing and managing common Task Force recommendations. However, family medicine residents appear to be
ophthalmic conditions. uncomfortable in handling treatable but potentially sight-threatening ocular conditions.
Methods: Postgraduate year 1 Standardizing the undergraduate medical education ophthalmology curriculum and
and 2 family medicine residents at increasing hours of ophthalmology training during postgraduate family medicine residency
the University of Western Ontario may be useful in bridging this gap in knowledge.
were recruited for this study. The Keywords: medical education, ophthalmology, needs assessment, primary
main outcome measures were hours care
of classroom and clinic-based
instruction on ophthalmology Introducti
during undergraduate medical
education, and the comfort level in
on
Ophthalmic conditions are common in primary care practice.1 Eye signs and
ophthalmic clinical skills and
managing various ophthalmic symptoms are often the first recognized presentation of common systemic
conditions. Results: In total, 54 conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension. While many conditions affecting the
(33.3%) of 162 family medicine eye can be treated, irreversible damage can occur if they are left unrecognized (eg,
residents responded to the survey. diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma).2 Despite the prevalence of such conditions,
Residents reported an average of little time is devoted to ophthalmic training in undergraduate medical education.3
27.1 35.1 hours and 39.8 47.1 A recent study revealed that Canada does not have a standardized undergraduate
hours of classroom and clinical medical education curriculum for medical schools, and that many residents of
ophthalmology instruction, various specialties report not having
respectively. However, most confidence in managing ophthalmological cases.5
residents (80%) responded as
60%
C
o
n
c
l
u
s
i
o
n
Despite having received an
adequate number of hours
of oph- thalmological
instruction according to
recommendations by the
International Council of
Ophthalmology, family
medicine residents lack
received an inadequate comfort in managing and 5. Noble J, Somal K, Gill HS, Available from:
Lam WC. An analysis of http://www.mcc.ca/Objective
amount of referring ocular conditions. undergraduate s_ Online/objectives.pl?
ophthalmological training ophthalmology training in lang=english&loc=contents#O.
during their undergraduate D Canada. Can J Accessed January 5,
Ophthalmol. 2009;4: 2011.
medical education. i 513518. 16. College of Family Physicians
Standardizing s 6. Lippa LM, Boker J, Duke A, of Canada. Priority topics and
Amin A. A novel 3-year key features for assessment
undergraduate c longitudinal pilot study of in Family Medicine.
ophthalmology training in
l medical students acquisition
and retention of screening
Available
http://www.cfpc.
from:
Canada will ensure that
medical students are
o eye examination skills. ca/local/files/Education/Key
Ophthalmology. %20Features.pdf. Accessed
graduating with adequate s 2006;113:133139. September 20,
PubMed Central and CAS, and is the official journal of The Society
of Clinical Ophthalmology (SCO). The manuscript management
system is completely online and includes a very quick and fair peer-
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