Project Description

Background: Direct ophthalmoscopy (DO) is a critical skill acquired in undergraduate medical education for the diagnosis of sight and life-threatening conditions. Learning this skill is difficult at an undergraduate and trainee level, possibly due to device access.

Approach: The project was to compare the implementation of the Arclight (portable) ophthalmoscope in one student group against a student group using the standard direct ophthalmoscope based on competency in DO examinations. Each respective groups’ self-reported competence in DO and assessed competency was recorded.

Intended Benefits

Patient outcomes: By improving the clinician’s DO skills, patient outcomes might improve due to early and better diagnosis of sight and life-threatening conditions.

Environmental, Financial, Social: The Arclight group self-reported improved competence in DO and there was a mean increase in ease of use compared to the control group. According to assessed competency, there was no statistical difference between the two groups. The environmental and financial impacts need to be further investigated.

Potential Barriers

Challenges to addressing this issue:

• Other educational materials and approaches need to be changed

Key Aspects of the Project

This project addresses the clinicians’ skills in diagnosing and providing care to patients by changing access to equipment used in skill acquisition.