Abstract

BackgroundFundoscopy outside ophthalmology is in decline, and the technical demands of the traditional direct ophthalmoscope examination are likely contributing. Alternative fundoscopy technologies are increasingly available, yet valid comparisons between fundoscopy technologies are lacking. We aimed to assess medical students’ perceptions of usefulness and ease of use of traditional and contemporary fundus-viewing technologies including smartphone fundoscopy.MethodsOne hundred forty-six second-year medical students participated in a cross-sectional, randomised, cross-over study of fundoscopy methods. Medical students completed small group training sessions using six current fundoscopy technologies including: a non-mydriatic fundus camera; two types of direct fundoscopy; and three types of smartphone fundoscopy. A novel survey of perceived usefulness and ease of use was then completed by students.ResultsRepeated-measures ANOVA found students rated both the perceived usefulness (p< 0.001) and ease of use (p< 0.001) of smartphone fundoscopy significantly higher than both the non-mydriatic camera and direct fundoscopy.ConclusionsSmartphone fundoscopy was found to be significantly more useful and easier to use than other modalities. Educators should optimise student access to novel fundoscopy technologies such as smartphone fundoscopy which may mitigate the technical challenges of fundoscopy and reinvigorate use of this valuable clinical examination.

Highlights

  • Fundoscopy outside ophthalmology is in decline, and the technical demands of the traditional direct ophthalmoscope examination are likely contributing

  • Posthoc pairwise comparisons showed Smartphone fundoscopy (SF) was significantly more useful compared to Non-Mydriatic Camera (NMC) or direct fundoscopy

  • There was no significant difference between NMC and direct fundoscopy

Read more

Summary

Introduction

Fundoscopy outside ophthalmology is in decline, and the technical demands of the traditional direct ophthalmoscope examination are likely contributing. Bruce et al found that 13% of ED patients who warranted fundoscopy had acute life or vision-threatening fundus pathology, yet none of these findings were identified by emergency physicians using the traditional direct ophthalmoscope (TDO) [12]. While current clinical practice is limited by the shortcomings of TDO, novel fundus imaging technologies offer a potential solution. Technological improvements to fundus imaging utilising the ubiquitous smartphone could improve device availability [20,21,22] alongside reduced technical barriers, and have shown similar diagnostic accuracy to fundus photography in some studies [23]. Despite the burgeoning availability of fundusviewing technologies [25] and fundoscopy simulators, there is a paucity of comparative effectiveness studies [26] and a lack of validated tools for comparing their performance

Objectives
Methods
Results
Conclusion
Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.