Background/Purpose: The scarcity of literature surrounding ophthalmology training within non-ophthalmology specialties is striking. Chan et al. highlighted this gap revealing a discomfort among family medicine residents in managing sight-threatening ocular conditions, despite meeting the International Council of Ophthalmology Task Force recommendations for ophthalmology training in non-Ophthalmology specialties. Notably, no studies have explored ophthalmology education among rheumatology trainees.  This cross-sectional survey endeavors to fill this void by assessing pediatric rheumatology fellows’ self-preparedness for basic eye examination techniques and their understanding of eyesight-threatening diseases encountered in rheumatology

Methods: A Qualtrics electronic survey was developed and validated by experts in pediatric rheumatology and was distributed to pediatric rheumatology fellows affiliated with the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA).  The survey was approved by the Stanford University Institutional Review Board (IRB) and was divided into 4 sections: level of ophthalmology training; assessment level of preparedness performing eye examination screening of rheumatologic eye manifestations; communication level with ophthalmology; and level of interest for further training. Data was collected through the Qualtrics platform and the SPSS data analysis program was used to provide descriptive statistical analysis.

Results: 55% of requested pediatric rheumatology fellows responded to the survey. Only 50% of the fellows reported receiving ophthalmology education in medical school. Less than 50% reported receiving training as a resident or as a fellow with only a one-time lecture.  65% of participants reported that their current training programs do not have an educational curriculum and 81% do not provide a standardized approach for teaching the eye examination in their clinics. The percentage of participants who felt confident to perform a basic eye examination in JIA patients was only 6%. 51% of the participants reported being somewhat prepared to perform a basic eye exam and identify eye pathology in the most common rheumatologic diseases but would prefer someone available to consult regarding clinical eye findings. 78% of participants agree with the importance of developing their clinical ophthalmology evaluation skills and would participate in further education.  Audiovisual sessions and workshops were the preferred teaching method.

Conclusion: The bulk of ophthalmology training typically occurs during medical school with fewer opportunities provided during residency and fellowship. Alarmingly, 1/3 of trainees reported receiving their education through a singular lecture, which aligns with the low confidence levels among pediatric rheumatology fellows in conducting eye examinations and recognizing ocular manifestations of rheumatologic diseases. The  necessity to develop an ophthalmology educational curriculum for pediatric rheumatology trainees is clear. Surveyed pediatric rheumatology fellows are willing to participate in training initiatives

« Back to ACR Convergence 2024

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/bridging-the-gap-evaluating-ophthalmology-training-amongst-pediatric-rheumatology-fellows/