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. 2013 Jun;27(6):742-6.
doi: 10.1038/eye.2013.54. Epub 2013 Apr 19.

Intensive cataract training: a novel approach

J M Baxter  1 , R Lee, J A H Sharp, A J E Foss; Intensive Cataract Training Study Group
Collaborators, Affiliations

Intensive cataract training: a novel approach

J M Baxter et al. Eye (Lond). 2013 Jun.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the safety of an intensive cataract surgery training programme.

Methods: An intensive cataract surgery training programme was implemented in August 2010 for year 3 ophthalmology trainees in the East Midlands Deanery North Rotation (United Kingdom). Trainees participated in extra-ocular surgery and 50 h of virtual reality cataract surgery simulator training over a 2-year period. Their third year comprised 6 months of intensive phacoemulsification training in a tertiary centre followed by a 6-month period of consolidation in a district general hospital. The complication rates and case numbers were evaluated after the first 2 years of implementation.

Results: At 2 years, three trainees had completed a full year of intensive training. In the first 6 months of training, Trainee 1 completed 156 cases, Trainee 2 completed 194 cases, and Trainee 3 completed 151 full cases as primary surgeons with an average rate of posterior capsule rupture (PCR) of 1%. At 12 months, Trainee 1 completed 291, Trainee 2 completed 318, and Trainee 3 completed 294 cases, with an average PCR rate of 0.66%. The trainees required 84 lists on average to complete 150 full cataract procedures.

Conclusion: The combination of simulation and the new intensive training programme is safer than the traditional programme for cataract surgery training.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Timeline of ST3 training. *Indicates completion of first full case.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of cataract surgery cases completed by each trainee during the intensive phase of the training.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Response to Dr Yeo.
    Baxter JM, Foss A. Baxter JM, et al. Eye (Lond). 2014 Feb;28(2):236. doi: 10.1038/eye.2013.269. Epub 2013 Dec 13. Eye (Lond). 2014. PMID: 24336299 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Reply: Intensive cataract training: a novel approach.
    Yeo D. Yeo D. Eye (Lond). 2014 Feb;28(2):236. doi: 10.1038/eye.2013.268. Epub 2013 Dec 13. Eye (Lond). 2014. PMID: 24336300 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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