Abstract
Purpose: To gain an insight into the adequacy of ophthalmic medical education for doctors in the primary care setting.
Methods: A short forced-choice questionnaire was set to 150 randomly selected primary care practitioners in and around Bristol. Information was collected in relation to undergraduate and postgraduate ophthalmic education, ophthalmic confidence, facilities and understanding.
Results: One hundred and thirty-three primary care doctors replied to the questionnaire of whom 35% were fundholders and 47% in training practices. Only 22% of all respondents felt their undergraduate ophthalmic medical education to be adequate. However, 83% of the 86 primary care doctors who had attended postgraduate update courses in ophthalmology felt these to be adequate. Despite the availability of an ophthalmoscope and distance vision chart, only 56% felt confident with the ophthalmoscope and only 61% reported that their distance chart was set up in accord with manufacturer's instructions. Seventy-one per cent of respondents reported having access to dilating agents but only 61% felt confident using them. Understanding of two key ophthalmic terms was also poor. Despite the general satisfaction, attendance of postgraduate update courses did not appear to alter facilities, confidence or understanding.
Conclusions: It is apparent that most primary care doctors view their undergraduate ophthalmic medical education as inadequate and this is reflected in their confidence and understanding. Postgraduate courses, although more favourably received, do not appear to alter these findings. We strongly suggest, therefore, that general ophthalmic education is aimed at teaching examination techniques and ophthalmological principles suitable for primary care practice.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Dart JKG . Eye disease at a community health centre. BMJ 1986;293:1477–80.
Featherstone PI, James C, Hall MS, Williams A . General practitioners' confidence in diagnosing and managing eye conditions: a survey in South Devon. Br J Gen Pract 1992;42:21–4.
Shields T, Sloane PD . A comparison of eye problems in primary care and ophthalmology practices. Fam Med 1991;23:544–6.
McDonnell PJ . How do general practitioners manage eye disease in the community? Br J Ophthalmol 1988;72:733–6.
Royal College of General Practitioners, Office of Population Censuses and Surveys and Department of Health and Social Security. Morbidity statistics from general practice 1981-1982. Series MBS no. 1. London: HMSO, 1986.
Vernon SA . Eye care and the medical student: where should emphasis be placed in undergraduate ophthalmology? J R Soc Med 1988;81:335–7.
Sheldrick JH, Wilson AD, Vernon SA, Sheldrick CM . Management of ophthalmic disease in general practice. Br J Gen Pract 1993;43:459–62.
Stark D, Beinssen A, Morrey C . Ophthalmology in the undergraduate curriculum. Aust NZ J Ophthalmol 1992;20:297–303.
Claoué CMP, Stevenson KE . Incidence of inappropriate treatment of herpes simplex keratitis with topical steroids. BMJ 1986;292:1450–1.
Lavin MJ, Rose GE . Use of steroid eye drops in general practice. BMJ 1986;292:1448–50.
Wilson A . The red eye: a general practice survey. J R Coll Gen Pract 1987;37:62–4.
Harrison RJ, Wild JM, Hobley AJ . Referral patterns to an ophthalmic outpatient clinic by general practitioners and ophthalmic opticians and the role of these professionals in screening for ocular disease. BMJ 1988;297:1162–7.
Brittain GPH, Austin DJ, Kelly SP . A prospective survey to determine sources and diagnostic accuracy of glaucoma referrals. Health Trends 1988;20:43–4.
Pandit JC . Testing acuity of vision in general practice: reaching recommended standard. BMJ 1994;309:1408.
Congdon N, Wang F, Tielsch JM . Issues in the epidemiology and population-based screening of primary angle-closure glaucoma. Surv Ophthalmol 1992;36:411–23.
Patel KH, Javitt JC, Tielsch JM, Street DA, Katz J, Quigley HA, Sommer A . Incidence of acute angleclosure glaucoma after pharmacological mydriasis. Am J Ophthalmol 1995;120:709–17.
Fraser RC . Undergraduate medical education: present state and future needs. BMJ 1991;303:41–3.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shuttleworth, G., Marsh, G. How effective is undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in ophthalmology?. Eye 11, 744–750 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1997.189
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1997.189
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Efficacy of Simulator-Based Slit Lamp Training for Medical Students: A Prospective, Randomized Trial
Ophthalmology and Therapy (2023)
-
Enriching traditional didactic teaching in undergraduate ophthalmology with lateral thinking method: a prospective study
BMC Medical Education (2022)
-
Demographics, clinical interests, and ophthalmology skills confidence of medical student volunteers and non-volunteers in an extracurricular community vision screening service-learning program
BMC Medical Education (2022)
-
Is undergraduate ophthalmology teaching in the United Kingdom still fit for purpose?
Eye (2022)
-
Comparison of conventional and wide field direct ophthalmoscopy on medical students’ self-confidence for fundus examination: a 1-year follow-up
BMC Medical Education (2021)