ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The aim was to identify changes in continuing education and training in ophthalmology in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and advancing digitalization and to analyse the acceptance of e-learning tools among German ophthalmologists using a novel Retina Case App as an example. METHODS: The participants' training behaviour before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was surveyed. Furthermore, the acceptance and usability of the Retina Case App were evaluated using the System Usability Scale (SUS). A possible influence of the app on everyday clinical practice was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 145 ophthalmologists participated in the survey. The frequency of continuing medical education did not decrease for 62.8% of ophthalmologists during the pandemic. A significant increase in at least monthly use of online courses or lectures has been observed (90.3% vs. 28.2%, p < 0.001). No significant difference was identified in terms of frequency of use of print and digital journals or printed textbooks. The majority of participants stated that online training platforms are well suited to replace the absence of face-to-face events (73.8%). The mean SUS score was 87.7 (SD 11.9), which categorizes the app's usability as excellent. The majority agreed that the newly developed app enables faster learning (82.1%) and leads to increased motivation (71.7%). Most ophthalmologists (80.7%) felt that regular use of the app would improve confidence in the treatment of retinal diseases. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant change in training behaviour in ophthalmology towards e-learning and online courses, which has not been accompanied by a general decline in training activity. The exemplarily investigated application showed a high user acceptance among ophthalmologists.