Perceptions of recent ophthalmology residency graduates regarding preparation for practice.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate young ophthalmologists' perceptions of how well residency training prepared them for various aspects of their clinical practice. DESIGN: Self-administered survey. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred sixty-nine United States ophthalmologists who have been in practice for < or =5 years. METHODS: A 4-page questionnaire was mailed to a randomly selected sample of 900 U.S. members and fellows of the American Academy of Ophthalmology who had been in practice for < or =5 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of perceived preparedness in clinical and nonclinical areas of ophthalmology practice. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-nine surveys were completed and returned (margin of error, +/-5%). Analysis of tabulated results indicated that 86% said they were extremely or very well prepared to practice comprehensive ophthalmology after residency training. Even so, about half of those respondents also desired some additional clinical training, and two thirds felt the need for some additional training in surgical areas (refractive, oculoplastics/orbital, glaucoma, retina, and pediatric ophthalmic surgery). At least 60% reported being not very or not at all well prepared in 6 of the nonclinical areas explored (business operations and finance, personal financial management, practice management skills, coding and reimbursement, political advocacy, and exposure to practice setting models). With the exception of personal financial management, most ophthalmologists thought training in all of these nonclinical areas was the responsibility of the residency training program. CONCLUSION: The transition from residency training to successful, efficient, ethical, high-quality ophthalmic practice demands a number of skills in addition to diagnostic acumen and surgical ability. In general, the U.S. residency program graduates surveyed are comfortable with their clinical training, but less so with their training in nonclinical areas. Opportunities to help ophthalmologists prepare better for the transition to clinical practice after training appear to exist and might be addressed by training programs, professional organizations, informal physician networks, and other stakeholders.

Wound dehiscence after penetrating keratoplasty: clinical characteristics of 51 cases treated at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute.

PURPOSE: To describe the causes, clinical characteristics, and treatment of wound dehiscence in patients after penetrating keratoplasty (PK). METHODS: A retrospective chart review was completed, evaluating patients seen at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute between 1989 and 2001. RESULTS: All dehiscence occurred at the graft-host junction with an average of 5 hours of dehiscence, but no site preference was identified. Dehiscence occurred because of trauma (53%), suture-related complications (27%), infectious keratitis (8%), and spontaneous wound separation (12%). Twelve patients had either intraocular lens dislocation or expulsion; 42 patients underwent primary repair; 7 patients underwent primary PK; and 1 patient underwent primary evisceration. Surgical details were unavailable for 1 patient. Final visual acuity ranged from 20/20 to no light perception. Acuity was unavailable for 2 patients. Visual acuity was 20/200 or better in 23 patients (47%) and less than 20/200 in 26 patients (53%). Two patients (4%) had no light perception. The visual acuity of 13 patients (27%) was 20/40 or better at their last clinic visit. Comparison of predehiscence and postdehiscence visual acuity showed that 23 eyes (54%) had comparable vision after dehiscence, 11 eyes (25%) had improved vision, and 9 eyes (21%) had worsening of vision. CONCLUSIONS: These observations show that graft dehiscence can occur for a variety of reasons after PK, including trauma, infectious keratitis, suture failure, or spontaneous wound separation. The graft-host interface remains vulnerable after corneal transplant and is a potential area for wound dehiscence even many years after keratoplasty. Nevertheless, comparable or even improved vision is possible after wound dehiscence.