A new model for teaching Opthalmoscopy to medical students

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Background:Although its relevance, the direct ophthalmoscopy may be underused in the daily clinical exam by medical students. Current findings reinforce the need for new approaches in the teaching process of this exam. Objective: Evaluate the applicability of an eye simulator model for teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to medical students. Methods: This study was designed for fourth-year medical students, 20 in total, randomized into two groups: one with ophthalmoscopic training session on human volunteers and another one with a simulator model training session. We used a plastic canister with an aperture of 7mm to simulate a dilated pupil. A normal fundus photograph was affixed on the opposite side of the aperture. The participants filled in a pre-test to assess previous knowledge in ophthalmology. After, both groups performed ophthalmoscopy on human volunteers and filled in post-tests. Results: The mean objective score was higher in the simulator group (82%) than in the group with human volunteer training (45%) (p = 0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the degree of ease and frustration in performing ophthalmoscopy between the groups, neither between positive and negative feelings scores. Conclusion: The simulator model proved to be effective in teaching direct ophthalmoscopy to medical students.