Self-assessment of Ophthalmology Competency among Thai Medical Interns

Abstract

Introduction: Ocular issues encountered in general practice significantly impact patients’ health and quality of life. However, Thai medical undergraduate programs dedicate only 1-2 weeks to ophthalmology rotation, potentially impacting students’ knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing patients with eye problems. Despite this potential concern, limited empirical evidence on students’ competency exists. This study investigates the knowledge, skills, and confidence of medical interns in ophthalmology to inform curriculum development within Thailand’s medical schools.

Objectives: To evaluate ophthalmology competency  of Thai medical interns through self-assessment questionnaires.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used to survey 160 medical interns who graduated from Thai medical schools nationwide. A self-assessment questionnaire assessed their knowledge and confidence in ophthalmic diseases and procedures. The questionnaire also investigated their perceptions of the training duration’s adequacy.

Results:  The study reveals that 51.9% of interns spent 2 weeks and 25.5% spent 4 weeks in ophthal mology rotation. The majority of interns (49.4%) think that time spent on ophthalmology rotation is adequate but needs some curricular improvement while 43.1% think that it is not adequate. The top three topics that interns want more clinical exposure are “ocular emergency” (68.1%), “ophthalmic procedure” (62.5%) and “ophthalmic examination” (53.1%). Regarding self-assessed knowledge level, Thai medical interns chose glaucoma, hyphema and corneal abrasion as areas where they have the least knowledge level, respectively. Glaucoma and hyphema are areas that they had the least confidence level. Time spent on ophthalmology rotation did not correlate with interns’ confidence and knowledge levels.

Conclusion: This study illustrates areas for improvement in ophthalmology education within Thai medical schools. While most interns felt comfortable with common eye diseases, knowledge gaps existed for some specific diseases. By using targeted educational strategies to address knowledge gaps and enhance practical procedural skills, the curriculum could be improved without increasing more time spent on ophthalmology rotation. These findings can guide improvements in ophthalmology education, ultimately leading to better care for eye patients.