Online Faculty Development on Curriculum Design in Simulation-based Education by International Collaboration - An Example from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

PURPOSE: Faculty development for procedural specialists is intended to improve clinical education and surgical/procedural skills. Despite challenging in under-resourced settings, this may be enhanced by developing international collaboration agreements and supported by online learning experiences. The Congolese Society of Ophthalmology and the International Council of Ophthalmology agreed to collaborate on implementing an online educational program to form a community of practice (CoP) of ophthalmologists educators and enhance competence in curriculum design and simulation-based education (SBE) on cataract surgery. METHODS: Ten Congolese ophthalmologists, faculty for the "Centre de Formation Ophthalmologique pour l'Afrique Centrale" (CFOACF), participated in a group-mentored 12-webinar modular program on curriculum design, in 2019. Considering the geo-social-cultural learning environment, we developed a curriculum framework incorporating social constructivism and experiential learning principles to facilitate the implementation of learning. Educational strategies included flipped, practice-based and social learning, group mentoring, and individual and collective reflection opportunities. A CoP was virtually nurtured using WhatsApp. Program evaluation relied on (a) feedback survey per module and 3 months upon conclusion, (b) individual declarative knowledge assessment, and (c) group assignment to test competence improvement. RESULTS: The CFOACF formed a virtual CoP, commented on an enjoyable opportunity to develop scholar teaching competence, expressed intention in systematically building educational curricula design that includes active learning strategies and effective feedback and showed individual learning and team-competence improvement. CONCLUSION: This first iteration of our online faculty development program nurtured the formation of a CoP of ophthalmologists' educators and enabled to practice a scholar teaching approach, especially applied to SBE.

Online Faculty Development: An African Lusophone Ophthalmic Society Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: Faculty development for procedural specialists aims at developing both their medical education and surgical competence. This has been challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in under-resourced settings and African Lusophone ophthalmology community has been no exception. The Mozambican College of Ophthalmology (MOC) and the Continuing Professional Development Committee of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) established a collaboration to enhance simulation-based clinical teaching competence in cataract surgery. METHODS: Ten Mozambican ophthalmologists experienced in teaching cataract surgery participated in a group mentoring assisted 6 month/11 flipped-learning online experience on curriculum design, which included practice-based and social learning strategies, continuous bidirectional feedback, individual and group reflection opportunities, and the demonstration of declarative and procedural competencies. Program evaluation consisted of pre and post-test knowledge assessment; individual homework, informed by curated reading and a recorded lesson; feedback surveys for each module and one month after the program's conclusion, and a longitudinal project on creating a simulation-based education session on one step of cataract surgery. RESULTS: Participants a) highlighted the opportunity to advance their scholarly teaching skills as facilitators; b) showed an increase in knowledge post-test, expressed commitment to improve their learning experiences´ design, include interactive educational methods, and provide constructive feedback; and c) formed a sustained community of practice of ophthalmologists educators (CoP). CONCLUSION: This online faculty development program, assisted by group mentoring, held during the COVID-19 pandemic, facilitated the development of a CoP and was effective in enhancing teaching competence in curriculum design to apply in simulation-based learning environments.

Twelve tips for developing a global community of scholars in health professions education.

Scholarship in Health Professions Education is not just original research, it also includes study of educational processes, and application of new knowledge to practice. The pathways to successful scholarship are not always clear to novice educators. In this article, we describe strategies to establish a Community of Scholars (CoS), where more experienced and senior members guide junior members in scholarship to advance the field. Drawing on Lave and Wenger's concepts of Communities of Practice (CoP), we describe twelve practical tips, which include generation of a shared vision, formation of a global community of scholars, engagement in scholarly initiatives, and development of a professional identity, categorised under three major steps: establish, grow, and sustain the community. The tips embrace inclusivity for diverse cultural contexts which further provide opportunities for Health Professions Educators, interested in forming communities of practice, to work on scholarly outputs and add value to the professional arena.

Capturing the wisdom of the crowd: health professions' educators meet at a virtual world café.

BACKGROUND: Conversations about educational challenges and potential solutions among a globally and culturally diverse group of health professions' educators can facilitate identity formation, mentoring relationships and professional network building. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more important to co-create and disseminate knowledge, specifically regarding online and flexible learning formats. APPROACH: Based on the principles of social learning, we combined speed mentoring and world café formats to offer a virtual Zoom™ workshop, with large and small group discussions, to reach health professions' educators across the globe. The goal was to establish a psychologically safe space for dialogue regarding adaptation to online teaching-learning formats. EVALUATION: We aimed to establish psychological safety to stimulate thought-provoking discussions within the various small groups and obtain valuable contributions from participants. From these conversations, we were able to formulate 'hot tips' on how to adapt to (sometimes new) online teaching-learning formats while nurturing teacher and student wellbeing. REFLECTION: Through this virtual workshop we realized that despite contextual differences, many challenges are common worldwide. We experienced technological difficulties during the session, which needed rapid adaptation by the organising team. We encouraged, but did not pressure, participants to use video and audio during breakout discussions as we wanted them to feel safe and comfortable. The large audience size and different time zones were challenging; therefore, leadership had to be resilient and focussed. Although this virtual format was triggered by the pandemic, the format can be continued in the future to discuss other relevant global education topics.

Dual drug delivery from hydrophobic and hydrophilic intraocular lenses: in-vitro and in-vivo studies.

Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) still remains the most frequent long term complication after cataract surgery, while endophthalmitis is rare but severe and should be prevented at all cost. Intraocular lenses (IOLs) with different designs (eg. edge and body-haptics angle) and materials (acrylic hydrophobic and acrylic hydrophilic surfaces) have been studied to reduce PCO. For the prevention of endophthalmitis, intracameral injection followed or not by topical treatment with antibiotics and anti-inflammatories are usually prescribed. The objective of this work was to investigate the use of IOLs as controlled release platforms of two drugs, the antibiotic moxifloxacin (MXF) and the anti-inflammatory ketorolac (KTL) that could advantageously substitute the usual treatment. Two types of IOLs were chosen, hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Hydrophobic IOLs have shown better results in the prevention of PCO because they adhere better to the posterior capsular bag, while hydrophilic IOLs are advised in the case of patients with uveitis, glaucoma or diabetes. The IOLs were loaded with MXF + KTL and sterilized by high hydrostatic pressure. Both IOLs reduced the tendency for adhesion of LECs. In vivo tests were done to compare the concentration of the drugs in the aqueous humor obtained after eye drops administration and drug-loaded IOLs implantation. The developed IOLs were able to release MXF and KTL at therapeutic levels, in a sustained way, which contrasts with the eye drops prophylaxis. No PCO signs were detected and histological analyses demonstrated biocompatibility of these devices.

Moxifloxacin-loaded acrylic intraocular lenses: In vitro and in vivo performance.

PURPOSE: To assess the possibility of using acrylic intraocular lenses (IOLs) to ensure controlled and sustained release of moxifloxacin, an antibiotic commonly used for endophthalmitis prophylaxis after cataract surgery. SETTING: Academic, industrial, and clinical partners from Portugal, Belgium, Iceland, and the United States. DESIGN: Experimental study. METHODS: The physical properties of IOLs loaded with moxifloxacin by soaking were characterized. In vitro drug-release studies were performed under hydrodynamic conditions similar to those of the eye, and the activity of the released drug was tested. In vitro cytotoxicity was evaluated, and the in vivo efficacy of the devices was assessed through rabbit experiments in which the effects of topical moxifloxacin drops (control) and moxifloxacin-loaded IOLs were compared. RESULTS: The presence of moxifloxacin in the IOLs had little effect on the evaluated physical properties and did not induce cytotoxicity. In vitro drug release experiments showed that the IOLs provided controlled release of moxifloxacin for approximately 2 weeks. The drug remained active against the tested microorganisms during that period. Moxifloxacin-loaded IOLs and the control treatment induced similar in vivo behavior in terms of inflammatory reactions, capsular bag opacification scores, and uveal and capsule biocompatibility. The drug concentration in the aqueous humor after 1 week was similar in both groups; however, the concentration with the loaded IOLs was less variable. CONCLUSION: The moxifloxacin-loaded IOLs released the drug in a controlled manner, providing therapeutic levels.

How to Add Metacognition to Your Continuing Professional Development: Scoping Review and Recommendations.

Participation in continuing professional development (CPD) is part of lifelong learning required by ophthalmologists. Metacognition is a new area of educational research. It is important because metacognitive skills are essential in medical education and likely to improve effectiveness of CPD activities. We systematically searched PubMed using the terms "metacognition" and "CPD" or "continuing medical education (CME)" and found only 5 articles. These articles were supplemented by a broadbased review of published literature including educational psychology, across the continuum of medical education. We summarize the techniques that may improve metacognition in CPD: awareness of and instruction in metacognition, awareness and mitigation of cognitive errors, appropriate needs analysis, and choosing appropriate activities. Metacognition and learning of new surgical techniques, the role of portfolios, and the role of the educator are described. The evidence is weak however, and it is usually extrapolated to CPD activities from other fields. Ophthalmologists may be able to improve their metacognitive skills in the CPD context, but the evidence supporting this is of low quality.

CPD? What happened to CME? CME and beyond.

Continuing medical education (CME) has been evolving into continuing professional development (CPD) and more recently into competency-based continuing professional development (CBCPD). We will describe this progression and the consequent changes in CPD programs developed by educators, appraise emerging challenges in CPD, propose strategies to overcome them and conclude by recommending research in CPD as the best way to consistently guide effective CPD programs and systems aligned with the public healthcare needs and expectations.

Models for implementing continuing professional development programs in low-resource countries.

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Implementing CPD programs for medical professionals has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes, and is increasingly required for continuing medical licensure. However, implementing programs in low-resource settings is challenging. This review has identified 5 different models for implementation: 1) twinning, 2) greenfield, 3) formal program guided by international medical bodies, 4) directed by regulators and 5) informal program guided by international medical bodies. The models, advantages and disadvantages and costs are discussed. There is minimal evidence on success of implementation models, and further studies are necessary.

Continuing professional development: best practices.

Continuing professional development (CPD) involves not only educational activities to enhance medical competence in medical knowledge and skills, but also in management, team building, professionalism, interpersonal communication, technology, teaching, and accountability. This paper aims at reviewing best practices to promote effective CPD. Principles and guidelines, as already defined by some professional societies and world organizations, are emphasized as core actions to best enhance an effective lifelong learning after residency. The personal learning plan (PLP) is discussed as the core of a well-structured CPD and we describe how it should be created. Fundamental CPD principles and how they are integrated in the framework of every physician's professional life will be described. The value of systematic and comprehensive CPD documentation and assessment is emphasized. Accreditation requirements and professional relationships with commercial sponsors are discussed.

Combined corneal collagen crosslinking and secondary intraocular lens implantation for keratectasia after radial keratotomy.

We describe a case of corneal ectasia in a patient with previous radial keratotomy (RK). The uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) was 20/400, the corrected visual acuity (CDVA) 20/50, and the spherical equivalent (SE) -5.125 diopters (D). Corneal topography revealed inferior corneal ectasia with corneal astigmatism of 9.2 D. Six months after corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL), the UDVA improved to 20/200, the CDVA to 20/40, and the SE to -4.625 D. Corneal astigmatism was reduced to 8.7 D. An add-on IOL was implanted to correct the residual cylindrical refractive error (-9.25 × 60; Torica-sPB IOL, Humanoptics), after which the UDVA improved to 20/32, the CDVA to 20/30, and the SE to -0.50 D. This case is the first to document the efficacy of CXL in corneal ectasia as a complication of primary RK in a nonkeratoconic or a keratoconus-suspect eye with an add-on IOL used to correct the residual refractive error.

Allergic conjunctivitis: a national cross-sectional study of clinical characteristics and quality of life.

PURPOSE: Ocular allergy is one of the most common ocular problems in clinical practice and, although easily identified and frequently a mild to moderate condition, it has relevant direct and indirect costs. To characterize clinical and demographic aspects of allergic conjunctivitis in Portugal, using a structured questionnaire. As a secondary outcome, patient's initial therapeutic and health care options, self-perception of health, and work/school absenteeism were also evaluated. METHODS: A cross-sectional study, in 16 ophthalmology departments of central or regional hospitals, in patients diagnosed with allergic conjunctivitis during the spring of 2006. RESULTS: A total of 220 patients were enrolled (mean age of 31.4+/-18.5 years). A quarter of these patients had >5 episodes of ocular allergy in the past year, 59.3% all year-round episodes, and most presented associated comorbidities (allergic rhinitis 45.9%, asthma 15.5%). They had significant impairment of their overall quality of life during an acute episode (45.6% > or =6 in a 10-point severity scale). Only 19.4% had an appointment with an ophthalmologist as a first action and most (56.1%) started with self treatment measures. Only 37.2% had a previous allergy diagnostic evaluation. CONCLUSIONS: In this cross-sectional study of allergic conjunctivitis patients seen in ophthalmology departments, we found a significant impairment of self-rated health status during an ocular allergy episode. Moreover, most patients had year-round episodes and started ocular allergy management with self treatment measures.