TY - JOUR
T1 - Cataract Surgery Training in Germany
T2 - A Survey by the European Board of Ophthalmology
AU - Yaïci, Rémi
AU - Schiefelbein, Johannes
AU - Dhubhghaill, Sorcha Ní
AU - Sanogo, Massira Melanie
AU - Lefebvre, François
AU - Aclimandos, Wagih
AU - Asoklis, Rimvydas
AU - Atilla, Huban
AU - Creuzot-Garcher, Catherine
AU - Curtin, Denise
AU - Cvenkel, Barbara
AU - Flanagan, Lisa
AU - Kivelä, Tero T.
AU - Maino, Anna
AU - Costa, Rafael Martinez
AU - Filipe, Helena Prior
AU - Stopa, Marcin
AU - Strong, Brendan
AU - Stürmer, Jörg Peter Egon
AU - Tassignon, Marie José
AU - Ivekovic, Renata
AU - Priglinger, Siegfried
AU - Bourcier, Tristan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025. Thieme. All rights reserved.
PY - 2025/2/28
Y1 - 2025/2/28
N2 - Introduction Phacoemulsification is a fundamental surgical skill for ophthalmology residents and the most commonly performed operation in the ever-evolving field of ophthalmology. A comprehensive study conducted between 2018 and 2022 showed wide variation in the experiences of European residents. The aim of this study was to study the data from Germany in the European data context. Methods This study analyses survey results from German participants in European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) examinations (2018-2022) and classifies the results in overall European comparison. We also performed a regional analysis by federal state. Results Of a total of 445 addressees, 136 (30.6%) responded to the questionnaire. Around two-thirds or 67.7% had taken the EBO exam between 2021 and 2022; most of the study participants were women (59.6%) and the average age was 34 ± 2. By far the most at 89.7% were right-handed and came from fourteen different federal states, mostly from North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Berlin. Under a quarter of respondents at 22.8% stated that they had carried out at least ten training sessions on animal eyes. Very few at 5.1% reported completing training sessions on synthetic eyes compared to 16.9% stating that they had trained on a virtual reality simulator. Having taken more than ten training sessions correlated significantly with higher confidence at performing cataract surgery (p < 0.001). Eighty-three respondents (61%) had not performed any of the steps taken in cataract surgery on patients during specialty training in Germany. This was well above the European average. Women were statistically significantly overrepresented in this subgroup, accounting for 67.5% (p = 0.019) of the subgroup. Discussion In the European context, the German national specialty training curriculum does not require cataract operations in any set numbers. This model may have contributed to the significant gender differences. Simulation-based medical training may address this problem as an additional tool for more equitable access to surgical training. Conclusion Intra-European comparison and exchange may help improve guidelines for ophthalmological specialty training. This might standardise and improve training standards in both conservative and surgical ophthalmology throughout Europe.
AB - Introduction Phacoemulsification is a fundamental surgical skill for ophthalmology residents and the most commonly performed operation in the ever-evolving field of ophthalmology. A comprehensive study conducted between 2018 and 2022 showed wide variation in the experiences of European residents. The aim of this study was to study the data from Germany in the European data context. Methods This study analyses survey results from German participants in European Board of Ophthalmology (EBO) examinations (2018-2022) and classifies the results in overall European comparison. We also performed a regional analysis by federal state. Results Of a total of 445 addressees, 136 (30.6%) responded to the questionnaire. Around two-thirds or 67.7% had taken the EBO exam between 2021 and 2022; most of the study participants were women (59.6%) and the average age was 34 ± 2. By far the most at 89.7% were right-handed and came from fourteen different federal states, mostly from North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, and Berlin. Under a quarter of respondents at 22.8% stated that they had carried out at least ten training sessions on animal eyes. Very few at 5.1% reported completing training sessions on synthetic eyes compared to 16.9% stating that they had trained on a virtual reality simulator. Having taken more than ten training sessions correlated significantly with higher confidence at performing cataract surgery (p < 0.001). Eighty-three respondents (61%) had not performed any of the steps taken in cataract surgery on patients during specialty training in Germany. This was well above the European average. Women were statistically significantly overrepresented in this subgroup, accounting for 67.5% (p = 0.019) of the subgroup. Discussion In the European context, the German national specialty training curriculum does not require cataract operations in any set numbers. This model may have contributed to the significant gender differences. Simulation-based medical training may address this problem as an additional tool for more equitable access to surgical training. Conclusion Intra-European comparison and exchange may help improve guidelines for ophthalmological specialty training. This might standardise and improve training standards in both conservative and surgical ophthalmology throughout Europe.
KW - Cataract surgery
KW - European Board of Ophthalmology
KW - simulation-based training
KW - surgery training
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/86000535410
U2 - 10.1055/a-2462-8222
DO - 10.1055/a-2462-8222
M3 - Article
C2 - 40020715
AN - SCOPUS:86000535410
SN - 0023-2165
VL - 242
SP - 836
EP - 845
JO - Klinische Monatsblatter fur Augenheilkunde
JF - Klinische Monatsblatter fur Augenheilkunde
IS - 8
ER -