Utility of Portable Fundus Camera in Teaching Direct Ophthalmoscopy to Medical Students

Direct ophthalmoscopy (DO) an essential skill for junior doctors. DO allows for quick and effective fundus examinations to detect life- and vision-threatening diseases. However, medical students often find it difficult to master DO due to the challenges associated with fundus visualisation. Innovative and effective approaches are needed at the undergraduate level to improve the acceptance and proficiency of DO.

In 2023-2024, 79 fourth-year medical students participated in a study to evaluate the acceptance and effectiveness of a new teaching approach using a portable fundus camera (PFC) during weekly ophthalmology clerkships. This study compared the PFC-assisted teaching method with the traditional DO teaching method.

The participants were allocated into two groups, with 40 in Group A and 39 in Group B. They attended traditional DO and PFC-assisted modules separately in session one and then crossed over in session two. Questionnaires evaluated perceived ease of use (PEOU), perceived usefulness (PU), confidence and satisfaction at the end of the sessions. All students completed the DO performance using standard patient and fundus photointerpretation assessments and compared with previous non-intervention group.

The integration of PFC-assisted teaching into the ophthalmology curriculum effectively addressed traditional barriers to learning DO, fostering confidence and skill acquisition in medical students. The blended approach of combining technology with traditional teaching facilitated a more comprehensive learning experience.

PFC-assisted teaching provided an innovative and effective strategy for improving DO training. We would advocate for similar approach may help students to find out the zone of proximal development.