Telemedicine Curriculum in an Ophthalmology Residency Program

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Education
• Telemedicine

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic spurred telemedicine adoption in ophthalmology.
• Ophthalmology residency programs often lack formal training in telemedicine, leaving a gap in preparedness for virtual eye exams.
• There is a need to equip ophthalmologists with the skills for effective remote patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of an ophthalmic telemedicine curriculum on residents' knowledge.
• To evaluate residents' perceived ability in diagnosing, managing, and triaging common eye diseases via telemedicine.
• To gauge residents' attitudes towards the current and future use of teleophthalmology.

Main Methods:

• A single-center study at Massachusetts Eye and Ear involving ophthalmology residents.
• A pre- and postcurriculum survey was administered during the 2020-2021 academic year.
• The curriculum included interactive didactic lectures and electronic assessments.

Main Results:

• Significant increases in resident confidence were observed across setup/logistics, history taking, examination, documentation, and education (p < 0.001).
• Comfort levels with ethics, professionalism, disparities, triage, diagnosis, and management also showed statistically significant improvements (p < 0.001 to p = 0.008).
• Post-curriculum survey data indicated enhanced self-reported knowledge and skills in virtual ophthalmic care.

Conclusions:

• Implementation of an ophthalmic telemedicine curriculum effectively boosted resident confidence and knowledge in all aspects of virtual eye care.
• Formal telehealth curricula are crucial for addressing educational needs in ophthalmology residency.
• This training is vital given the increasing utilization of telehealth services in eye care.