JAO : VOL 2 Issue 1 2009
Development of a Tool for Assessment of Resident Cataract Surgery Instrument Knowledge
2009, Volume 2, Number 1 6 Introduction Traditionally, residency programs have been evalu-ated based on the structure and process of educating residents rather than on quantifiable and measurable outcomes in resident knowledge or ability. Recently, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Edu-cation (ACGME) has mandated that all residency pro-grams focus on assessing outcomes of resident educa-tion in 6 core competencies (i.e., medical knowledge, patient care, professionalism, interpersonal and com-munication skills, practice-based learning, and system -based practice). The American Board of Ophthal-mology (ABO) has recommended an additional surgi-cal skills competency. A surgical skill curriculum includes knowledge of surgical anatomy, procedure indications, technique, instrumentation, and compli-cations; microsurgery laboratory training with simula-tors, synthetic, animal and human eyebank eyes; sur-gical cases as assistant, and primary surgeon with su-pervision [1]. The ACGME, ABO, and the American public de-mand greater emphasis on efficiency in surgical edu-cation in delivery, acquisition and verification of sur-gical knowledge and skill [2]. In order to improve surgical proficiency, residents must have knowledge of surgical instruments prior to microsurgical wet-lab and surgical cases. However, current methods to teach surgical instrument names and function depend on use of instruments during surgical cases as a pri-Development of a Tool for Assessment of Resident Cataract Surgery Instrument Knowledge Shahzad I. Mian, MD 1* , Timothy Sullivan 1 , Wesley Millican 2 , Tara Uhler, MD 3 , Steven J. Gedde, MD 4 , Andrew G. Lee, MD 5 , and Karl C. Golnik, MD 6 1 Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, W.K. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 2 Career Physician, Ft. Worth, TX 3 Wills Eye Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 4 Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 5 Department of Ophthalmology, The Methodist Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical College, Houston, TX 6 University of Cincinnati & the Cincinnati Eye Institute, Cincinnati, OH * Corresponding Author & e-mail: smian@umich.edu Abstract To develop and test a tool for assessment of resident knowledge of cataract surgery instruments. A multicenter face and content validity study of instrument knowledge for cataract surgery was per-formed using experienced content experts in the field. Survey participants were asked to rate 50 surgical instru-ments in 13 categories in the following categories: must have knowledge, may need to have knowledge, or does not need to have knowledge . Twenty-four surgeons at five institutions with 10.4 ± 6.7 years of experience in teaching surgery partici-pated in the study. Twenty-eight instruments were rated as must have knowledge by > 50 % of surgeons. At least 1 instrument was identified in each functional category. A web-based surgical instrument knowledge database and quiz tool has been developed that has face and content validity to assess resident competence in patient care and medical knowledge. Accepted for publication November 13, 2008 Revision received December 11, 2008 2009; 2: 6-10. Available via open-access on the web at http://www.academic-ophthalmology.com Wesley Millican is president & CEO of CareerPhysician. The other author(s) have no personal financial interest.  2009