Abstract
Purpose :
Electrophysiology, a diagnostic tool used to assess cell function in the diagnosis of inherited and acquired retinal disease, requires skilled technicians and clinicians to conduct and interpret testing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the availability and use of electrophysiology in ophthalmology residency programs in the United States.
Methods :
An anonymous survey was sent to the program directors of each ophthalmology residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in the United States. The survey was created using RedCAP software and distributed via the AUPO residency program directors email list. The survey asked respondents about access to electrophysiology recording equipment, modalities of testing available, access to a trained technician and qualified interpreter, dedicated resident lecture time, clinical exposure for residents, and barriers that limited electrophysiology testing.
Results :
Of 124 programs invited, 26 responses were received (21%). Results showed that 85% of respondents had access to electrophysiology recording equipment, with multifocal and full-field electroretinograms being the most accessible subtypes. 81% of respondents had at least some access to trained technicians and qualified faculty interpreters. Despite this, 77% reported at least one barrier to electrophysiology testing, including access to trained technicians or interpreters (42% and 35%, respectively), cost (23%), testing length (23%), testing utility (23%), and scheduling issues (12%). 92% of respondents reported that residents had clinical exposure to electrophysiology, and 96% provided dedicated lecture time on the topic, but with a median of 1 hour of clinical exposure and 3 hours of lecture time per year. This study was limited by its low response rate.
Conclusions :
A majority of respondents had access to electrophysiology testing, yet more than half of these considered the lack of trained technicians or interpreters as a substantial barrier to testing. Additionally, residents in these programs averaged only three hours of didactics per year on electrophysiology, and obtained little to no direct clinical experience. While this study was limited due to response rate, it is striking almost half of programs felt despite having access to electrophysiology, they were constrained utilizing it due to lack of adequately trained personnel.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.