Abuallut Ismail, Hurissi Eman, Abuageelah Bandar M, Alfaifi Mona, Hakami Alshomokh, Qadri Alanoud, Hakami Afnan, Ghulaysi Saleh
Department of Surgery, Ophthalmology Division, Jazan University, Jazan, SAU.
Department of Surgery, Ophthalmology Division, Prince Mohammed Bin Naser Hospital, Jazan, SAU.
Cureus. 2023 Nov 20;15(11):e49134. doi: 10.7759/cureus.49134. eCollection 2023 Nov.
Ophthalmology is essential for primary and specialty care physicians, as eye complaints are common, accounting for a sizable proportion of general practice consultations and emergency department visits. Fundamental ophthalmology knowledge is also relevant to other specialty fields. Thus, medical schools must provide effective undergraduate curricula to teach students about salient points, visual examination skills, emergency recognition, and referral indications. The International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) has set guidelines that medical students should imbibe to become proficient in ophthalmology. However, there have been no recent investigations evaluating undergraduate ophthalmology education at Jazan University's Faculty of Medicine. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the curriculum at Jazan University to the ICO's requirements for undergraduate medical education.
An observational cross-sectional study was conducted with both male and female student participants enrolled in an ophthalmology course at Jazan University's Faculty of Medicine. Following IRB approval, the questionnaire was distributed on social media to assess if Jazan University's undergraduate ophthalmology curriculum complies with ICO standards.
The study included a diverse sample of 322 participants, predominantly consisting of female students (n=178, 55.3%). The participants' ages ranged from 22 to 36 years, with the majority falling within the 24-25 year age range (n=173, 53.7%). Regarding academic performance, (n=117, 36.3%) of participants had a GPA of less than 4, while 66 (20.5%) had a GPA between 4.76 and 5.00. Among the respondents, 31 (9.6%) indicated having no exposure to ophthalmology, while 117 (36.3%) felt they had insufficient exposure. A considerable percentage of participants expressed competence in various areas, such as obtaining ocular history (n=113, 35.1%), testing visual acuity (n=201, 62.4%), and examining extraocular motility (n=201, 62.4%). In total, 98 participants (30.4%) expressed an interest in ophthalmology, while the majority (n=224, 69.6%) were not interested.
Essential improvements include increasing hands-on clinical experience, small-group learning, exposure across academic years, and early mentorship. Developing competency-based curricula aligned with ICO guidelines could significantly strengthen education. Better training quality and exposure will equip students with the necessary skills, boost confidence, and potentially expand the ophthalmology workforce.
眼科对初级保健医生和专科医生至关重要，因为眼部问题很常见，在普通门诊咨询和急诊科就诊中占相当大的比例。基础眼科知识也与其他专科领域相关。因此，医学院校必须提供有效的本科课程，以教授学生要点、视力检查技能、紧急情况识别和转诊指征。国际眼科理事会（ICO）已制定了医学生应掌握的指南，以便精通眼科。然而，最近没有对吉赞大学医学院的本科眼科教育进行评估的调查。因此，本研究旨在将吉赞大学的课程与ICO对本科医学教育的要求进行比较。
对吉赞大学医学院参加眼科课程的男女学生进行了一项观察性横断面研究。在获得机构审查委员会（IRB）批准后，通过社交媒体分发问卷，以评估吉赞大学的本科眼科课程是否符合ICO标准。
该研究纳入了322名参与者的多样化样本，主要由女生组成（n = 178，55.3%）。参与者的年龄在22岁至36岁之间，大多数在24 - 25岁年龄范围内（n = 173，53.7%）。在学业成绩方面，（n = 117，36.3%）的参与者平均绩点低于4，而66人（20.5%）的平均绩点在4.76至5.00之间。在受访者中，31人（9.6%）表示没有接触过眼科，而117人（36.3%）觉得他们接触不足。相当比例的参与者表示在各个方面有能力，如获取眼部病史（n = 113，35.1%）、测试视力（n = 201，62.4%）和检查眼球运动（n = 201，62.4%）。总共有98名参与者（30.4%）表示对眼科感兴趣，而大多数（n = 224，69.6%）不感兴趣。
必要的改进包括增加实践临床经验、小组学习、跨学年接触和早期指导。制定与ICO指南一致的基于能力的课程可以显著加强教育。更好的培训质量和接触将使学生具备必要的技能，增强信心，并有可能扩大眼科劳动力队伍。
