title: Ownership of direct ophthalmoscopes by medical students.
abstract: In September 1986 the Department of Education and Science withdrew the equipment grant for clinical medical students. This coincided with a reduction of 50% in the level of ownership of direct ophthalmoscopes amongst a group of 51 medical students who commenced their medical studies after September 1986 (no longer eligible for the equipment grant), when compared with a group of 63 students (in the same clinical year) who started the medical course before 1 September 1986 and who were hence still able to claim the equipment grant. The majority of non-owners gave lack of finance as the reason for non-ownership. Owners of ophthalmoscopes performed ophthalmoscopy more frequently than non-owners, but the difference did not reach statistical significance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, London Hospital, Whitechapel, UK.
authors.forename: A I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: McNaught
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Pearson
mesh_terms: D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D006801:Humans; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000193:education; D019721:Ophthalmoscopes; D010067:Ownership; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom