Implications of problem-based education for the future of optometric practice.
BACKGROUND
Optometry is changing from single-doctor, refraction-oriented practices toward group practices in which increasingly complex patient problems are managed. To prepare students for new modes of practice, the traditional lecture style of education is being supplemented with innovative techniques, such as problem-based learning (PBL).


METHODS
Using PBL in a medical or optometric environment, a group of students would be given a complete case in the Subjective, Objective, Assessment, and Plan (SOAP) format. Then they would be asked to use the case as a basis for studying the underlying mechanism of the disease presented, the therapies available, why the management plan was selected, and why the patient responded as he or she did.


RESULTS
Students work in groups to investigate the cases using on- and off-line resources. They set learning objectives for themselves and the group, and they evaluate each other's performances. A faculty member serves as a guide during this process.


CONCLUSIONS
Students who complete a PBL course have not memorized a mountain of details as they would have in a traditional course, but have learned how to find and integrate information about patients, cases, diseases, etc. This enables them to deal with the exponential increase in knowledge that is occurring. In addition, by working together on PBL cases, students prepare themselves for group and other interactive practice environments.
Yolton
D P
DP
Pacific University, College of Optometry, Forest Grove, Oregon, USA.
Yolton
R L
RL
Laukkanen
H R
HR
D009907:Optometry / Q000193:education*; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011364:Professional Practice / Q000458:organization & administration*