Journal of Academic Ophthalmology
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Using ChatGPT-4 As a Python Developer to Solve Complex Resident Scheduling
No full textPurpose There has been much recent interest on the use of large language models such as ChatGPT in ophthalmology. While several studies have investigated ChatGPT\u27s applications in ophthalmology, its potential as a Python developer for complex tasks like resident scheduling remains unexplored. This paper explores the use of ChatGPT- 4 as a Python developer to create a resident call schedule for five Yale PGY-2 ophthalmology residents. Design/Methods ChatGPT-4 and Python programming were used to develop a complex resident scheduling system. The objective was to distribute the call schedule evenly between 5 residents while adhering to specific constraints. The scheduling task involved multiple constraints, such as ensuring that only one resident is assigned per day, allocating specific weekdays for certain residents, avoiding consecutive calls, and accounting for unavailable dates and holidays. We designed a separate Python script to validate the generated schedule which was also manually validated by the chief resident. In order to upload the schedule to the Google Calendar, we generated a separate Python script. Results Through an iterative process with ChatGPT-4 and Python programming, we successfully developed a working model that fulfilled all requirements. The schedule was validated by the validation code and manually reviewed by the chief resident. Additionally, the schedule was uploaded successfully to Google Calendar using a Python script generated by ChatGPT-4. Conclusion This study demonstrates the potential of AI language models like ChatGPT-4, in addressing complex administrative tasks in healthcare with an aim of improving efficiency and reducing administrative burden. This type of programming could shift towards more natural language-based interactions, making coding accessible to a broader range of individuals and reducing technical barriers
Pilot for a Virtual Regional Ophthalmic Health Disparities Journal Club for Pre-medical and Medical Students: A Three-year Analysis
No full textBackground: Social determinants of health influence ophthalmic health outcomes in the United States. Understanding these factors is crucial for current and future physicians, but there is no standardized curriculum to teach learners about this topic.
Purpose: This pilot study evaluated the impact of three virtual regional ophthalmic health disparities journal clubs on pre-medical and medical students’ understanding of ophthalmic health disparities, interest in ophthalmology, and comfort in appraising medical literature.
Methods: Three annual virtual journal clubs were held in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Each session featured a different peer-reviewed published article related to ophthalmic health disparities as well as the article’s primary author, who participated in the discussions. An optional pre- and post–journal club questionnaire was distributed to attendees to assess their interest in ophthalmology research and practice settings, awareness of ophthalmic health disparities research and its potential to improve clinical outcomes, and comfort in their ability to analyze research articles.
Results: A total of 107 pre-medical and medical students from four institutions in Michigan attended the journal clubs. After attending the journal clubs, students reported an increased interest in academic ophthalmology (p = 0.017), awareness of ophthalmic health disparities research (p \u3c 0.001), comfort in appraising research articles (p \u3c 0.001), and appreciation of the role of ophthalmic health disparities research in contributing to clinical care improvement (p = 0.017).
Conclusion: A virtual regional ophthalmic health disparities journal club can increase medical trainees’ understanding of the role of ophthalmic health disparities research to improve patient care, interest in academic ophthalmology, awareness of ophthalmic health disparities research, and comfort in evaluating medical literature
Attending Perceptions on the Use of Preference Signaling in the Ophthalmology Residency Application Process
No full textObjective
This article characterizes perspectives of ophthalmologists involved in the residency selection process regarding the potential impact of preference signaling on the ophthalmology residency match.
Methods
An anonymous online questionnaire generated from SurveyMonkey was approved by the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) Data Resource Committee for distribution to 391 individuals from the AUPO Departmental Chairs, Program Directors, and Directors of Medical Student Education email listservs in August 2022.
Results
A total of 96 (24.6%) ophthalmology faculty completed the questionnaire. The majority (n = 76, 79.2%) agreed or strongly agreed that preference signaling should be implemented in the ophthalmology residency application system. Most respondents agreed or strongly agreed that preference signaling will allow for more holistic reviews of applications (n = 55, 57.3%), agreed or strongly agreed that it will benefit applicants who do not have connections to home programs or faculty that can reach out to desired programs (n = 81, 84.4%), and agreed or strongly agreed that it will improve the distribution of interviews to applicants (n = 76, 79.2%). Participants agreed or strongly agreed that applicants who have signaled interest in their program will receive preference when offering interviews (n = 59, 61.5%), and those signals will be used as a tiebreaker for similar applications (n = 75, 78.1%). The majority of participants believed that the ideal number of preference signals\u27 applicants should be given three to four signals (n = 35, 36.0%) or five to six signals (n = 29, 30.2%).
Conclusion
A majority of ophthalmology faculty surveyed support the integration of preference signaling into the ophthalmology residency match
Ergonomics of Ophthalmic Surgery: Evaluating the Effect of a Posture Trainer on Trainee Intraoperative Back Posture
No full textPurpose
Ophthalmic surgeons are at an increased risk for musculoskeletal disorders resulting from ophthalmology-specific routines and equipment, which have become widely associated with poor posture. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect that a commercially available posture trainer, Upright Go, can have on the improvement of posture of ophthalmic surgeons.
Methods
Eight ophthalmologists-in-training were studied over a period of 4 weeks during their surgical rotations between September 2020 and June 2021. Participants underwent an “observation” period, followed by a 2-week “training” period, then a final “testing” period. The percentage of time users spent upright intraoperatively pre- and posttraining was evaluated. Pre- and poststudy surveys were also administered to help measure participant satisfaction and self-reported changes in posture.
Results
All eight participants demonstrated an increase in the percentage of time spent upright after the training period. Across all participants, the total average percentage spent upright in the observation period was 59.8%, while in the testing period was 87.1%, resulting in an average improvement of 27.3% of time spent in an upright position after the completion of the training period (p \u3c 0.0001). The range of improvement of time spent upright was 16.0 to 46.5%.
Conclusion
This cohort study utilized the Upright Go device to help determine the effect that its training could have on the improvement of posture in ophthalmic surgeons. The results indicated a significant increase in the average proportion of time spent with upright posture compared after the training period
Gender Representation on North American Ophthalmology Societies\u27 Governance Boards
No full textPurpose
We examined the gender distribution and academic productivity of North American ophthalmology societies\u27 board members.
Methods
Cross-sectional and retrospective study of board members on American and Canadian ophthalmology societies. In December 2022, data was gathered from society webpages, online archives, and the Scopus database for publication information.
Results
Of the identified 73 board presidents and 876 other board members, 49 (67.1%) board presidents were men and 24 (32.9%) were women, while 554 (63.2%) other board members were men and 322 (36.8%) were women (p = 0.53). Overall, board members who were men had significantly higher median h-indexes (men vs. women: 10 [interquartile range [IQR] = 22] vs. 7 [IQR = 12], p = 0.03) and median publication numbers (men vs. women: 23 [IQR = 84] vs. 14 [IQR = 52.3], p = 0.01). However, m-quotients (h-index divided by length of academic career) were not significantly different (men vs. women: 0.46 [IQR = 0.74] vs. 0.50 [IQR = 0.55], p = 0.67). Overall, a significant increase in the proportion of women board presidents comparing periods 1942 to 1961 and 2002 to 2021 was observed for all societies combined (3.1% [2/65] to 23.6% [210/888], p \u3c 0.001).
Conclusion
The fraction of women on the academic boards in North American ophthalmology societies has increased sevenfold over the past 83 years. The gender composition of ophthalmology society boards is consistent with the gender composition of practicing ophthalmologists in the United States. Women in board or society positions have comparable academic output to men. Existing and new efforts to sustain progress in promoting women\u27s representation and leadership opportunities must continue
Disparities Among Medical Students Interested in Ophthalmology at Matriculation and Graduation
No full textPurpose:
Ophthalmology is one of the least diverse specialties in the U.S., but disparities in medical student interest in the field are unknown. We aim to identify demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with U.S. medical students’ interest in pursuing ophthalmology at matriculation and graduation.
Study Design:
Retrospective cross-sectional and cohort study of U.S. medical students who completed the American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) Matriculating Student Questionnaire (MSQ) or Graduation Questionnaire (GQ) survey between 2013 and 2022. We compared factors such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, parent income, and debt between students interested in ophthalmology versus other specialties on the MSQ and GQ. For students who completed both questionnaires, we examined factors associated with losing or gaining interest in ophthalmology.
Results:
134,723 and 98,628 students completed the MSQ and GQ respectively. At matriculation, female (OR 0.6, P
Conclusions:
Gender, racial, and socioeconomic disparities in student interest in ophthalmology begin before and persist during medical school, with female, Black, Hispanic, and debt-holding students being less likely to pursue ophthalmology. Efforts to diversify the ophthalmology workforce may benefit from interventions focused on medical students
There’s No Place Like Home: Evaluating Trends in the 2023 Ophthalmology Match
No full textObjective: The aim of this study was to evaluate trends in home-institution match rates during the 2023 ophthalmology match cycle and identify factors contributing to the observed rise in home-institution matching.
Design: We obtained match results from the 2023 SF match database and annotated each applicant with their home institution. Chi-squared tests were used to compare 2023 home institution match rates with match rates from preceding years. Additionally, we retrieved data on letter writers and their primary affiliations for 441 applicants from the 2023 Cole Eye match database. Spearman correlation analysis was performed to determine the relationship between letter writer affiliation and whether applicants matched at their home institution.
Results: In 2023, the home institution match rate was significantly higher than rates in years preceding the COVID-19 pandemic (2017-2020). Furthermore, the number of home institution-affiliated letter writers positively correlated (r = .3, p \u3c .0001) with and increased the likelihood of an applicant matching at their home institution (RR 4.5, CI: 2.2-9.4, p = 0.0001).
Conclusions: Despite easing pandemic restriction on away rotations, home-institution match rates for ophthalmology applicants remained elevated in 2023. We also found that the primary affiliation of letter writers was an important factor influencing where an applicant matches
Health Disparity Curricula for Ophthalmology Residents: Current Landscape, Barriers, and Needs
No full textBackground
Social determinants of health play a critical role in visual health outcomes. Yet, there exists no structured curriculum for ophthalmology residents to identify and address health disparities relevant to eye care or no a standard assessment of health disparities education within ophthalmology residency programs. This study aims to characterize current health disparity curricula in ophthalmology residency programs in the United States, determine resident confidence in addressing health disparities in the clinical setting, and identify perceived barriers and needs of program directors (PDs) and residents in this area.
Design
This was a cross-sectional survey study.
Methods
A closed-ended questionnaire with comments was distributed to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited ophthalmology residency PDs and residents in April 2021 and May 2022. The questionnaire solicited characteristics of any existing health disparity curricula, PD and resident perceptions of these curricula, and residents\u27 experience with and confidence in addressing health disparities in the delivery of patient care.
Results
In total, 29 PDs and 96 residents responded. Sixty-six percent of PDs stated their program had a formal curriculum compared to fifty-three percent of residents. Forty-one percent of PDs and forty-one percent of residents stated their program places residents in underserved care settings for more than 50% of their training. Most residents (72%) were confident in recognizing health disparities. Sixty-six percent were confident in managing care in the face of disparities and fifty-nine percent felt they know how to utilize available resources. Residents were most concerned with the lack of access to resources to help patients. Forty-five percent of PDs felt the amount of time dedicated to health disparities education was adequate. Forty-nine percent of residents reported they felt the amount of training they received on health disparities to be adequate. The top barrier to curriculum development identified by PDs was the availability of trained faculty to teach. Time in the curriculum was a major barrier identified by residents.
Conclusions
Roughly half of ophthalmology residency programs who responded had a health disparity curriculum; however, both PDs and residents felt inadequate time is dedicated to such education. National guidance on structured health disparity curricula for ophthalmology residents may be warranted as a next step
The Transition to Ophthalmology Residency: A National Survey of the Combined Ophthalmology PGY-1 Program
No full textBackground
In 2017, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education announced all ophthalmology residency programs would provide a combined transitional or joint preliminary program for first postgraduate year (PGY-1) residents, with mandatory implementation by 2023.
Purpose
This study aimed to survey ophthalmology residency program directors, postgraduate year 2 (PGY-2) ophthalmology residents who were a part of the first, official combined ophthalmology PGY-1 year, and postgraduate year 3 (PGY-3) residents who were a PGY-1 resident the year prior to integration to evaluate characteristics and perspectives on the combined ophthalmology PGY-1 year.
Methods
A national, internet survey-based study approved by the Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) was disseminated to the AUPO listserv of program directors (PDs) and PGY-2 and PGY-3 ophthalmology residents from July to August 2022 and then again April to June 2023.
Results
Twenty-six PDs completed the survey (response rate 20.3% out of 128 PDs). Forty-one PGY-2 ophthalmology residents who underwent the combined ophthalmology PGY-1 year and 33 PGY-3 ophthalmology residents also completed the survey. Most PGY-1 curricula focused on exposure to comprehensive ophthalmology and provided indirect ophthalmoscope, slit lamp, and refraction skills training to residents. Early exposure to fundamentals and clinical workflows were commonly cited benefits to the integration. When PDs were surveyed about how well-prepared PGY-1 residents who went through the combined year are for the PGY-2 relative to the prior year\u27s class, 16 (61.5%) responded “better prepared.” PGY-2 residents also reported a relatively higher level of clinical preparedness and familiarity with ophthalmology co-residents than PGY-3 residents. Several areas of improvement cited by both PDs and residents were identified including a dedicated didactic curriculum and more time in ophthalmology during the PGY-1 year.
Conclusions
We found an overall net benefit from the integration of the combined ophthalmology PGY-1 year. Benefits include early exposure to clinical skills and knowledge specific to ophthalmology, leading to increased confidence and preparedness for the rigorous transition to ophthalmology residency. We also identified many areas for improvement to optimize the PGY-1 year including a formal curriculum and additional time in ophthalmology. Programs should work closely with their residents, faculty, and non-ophthalmology PDs to refine the PGY-1 for the benefit of future ophthalmologists
Impact of the EyeSTAR Ophthalmic Physician-Scientist Training Program at UCLA
No full textImportance:
Training physician-scientists in ophthalmology is crucial for advancing translational research and enriching academic medicine. Programs that effectively train and retain these professionals are essential.
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of the Specialty Training and Advanced Research in Ophthalmology and Visual Science (EyeSTAR) program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in producing physician-scientists who remain in academia and secure competitive research funding.
Design, Setting, Participants:
This study reviewed the career outcomes of EyeSTAR graduates from 2002 to 2021, utilizing program records and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) RePORTER database.
Main Outcomes:
Metrics for success included the retention of graduates in academic positions and their ability to obtain significant research funding from NIH K08 and R01 awards.
Results:
The EyeSTAR graduates account for 8.6% of all ophthalmology residents from UCLA during the study period. Among the 13 graduates of the EyeSTAR program, 46.2% currently hold academic positions. A notable 30.8% of the graduates have been awarded K08 funding, and 15.4% have successfully obtained R01 grant funding. Of UCLA residents not trained in EyeSTAR 19.0% hold academic positions, with 2.9% obtaining K08 or K23 funding.
Conclusion:
The EyeSTAR program has proven to be a valuable model for training physician-scientists in ophthalmology, demonstrating success in fostering academic careers and securing research funding. This program stands out as a viable solution to the declining number of physician-scientists in ophthalmology