Experience of focused workshop intervention in presentation skills - Importance of foundational skills for ophthalmologists in training

Abstract

Background The study was conducted to assess the impact of a workshop intervention designed to enhance presentation skills of ophthalmology fellows. Methods A 10-hour workshop was conducted for ophthalmology trainees. Trainees were invited via email to participate by preparing a five-minute slide presentation and presenting it in person. Trainees from the fellowship 2022 batch (19 females and ten males) were included in the study. Participants completed a self-rating questionnaire to assess improvement in their presentation skills at different time points: Pre-Workshop (after introduction), During the Workshop (after trainee presentation), End-Workshop Intervention (after conclusion of all presentations), and Post-Workshop (scope of improvement). The self-rating questionnaire utilized a ten-point rating scale (1–10) and evaluated properties and content (PC) and soft skills (SS). Data were analysed using SPSS software. Friedman and post-hoc tests compared self-ratings at four time points. Statistical significance was set at p-value < 0.05. Results The self-rating scores indicated presentation skills PC and SS significantly (Friedman Test, p<0.001) improved at the post-workshop self-rating (PC4 and SS4) compared to earlier time points (PC1, PC2, PC3 and SS1, SS2, SS3). Conclusions Presentation skills empower medical professionals to better communicate with diverse audiences, demonstrating their currency in medical knowledge, lobbying for correct understanding, and bringing praxis to pedagogy. The findings support the integration of similar workshops into medical curricula to foster well-rounded medical professionals.