Assessing Resident Skills in Phaco–Emulsification Surgery

Abstract

 

Purpose:

 

To describe and evaluate a novel tool designed to assess resident competence in phaco–emulsification surgery. This study will establish the content validity and interrater reliability of the proposed assessment tool.

 

Methods:

 

40 attending ophthalmologists are assessing a single video of a resident phaco–emulsification surgery using our evaluation form. Additionally, these participants have been asked to comment on the ability of the tool to encompass the critical components of phaco–emulsification surgery.

 

Results:

 

The distribution of attending responses are being described in terms of range, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation in order to establish interrater reliability. The comments regarding the ability of the tool to appropriately address the critical aspects of phaco–emulsification surgery are being used to establish content validity.

 

Conclusions:

 

Our assessment tool is novel because it is the first to specifically address the critical aspects of phaco–emulsification surgery, the fundamental surgery of ophthalmology residency training. We expect our data to confirm the validity and reliability of this tool.  

 

Keywords: cataract • learning