Development of a new valid, reliable, and internationally applicable assessment tool of residents' competence in ophthalmic surgery (an American Ophthalmological Society thesis).
OBJECTIVE
To test the validity and reliability of a new tool for assessing residents' competence in ophthalmic surgery. Changing paradigms of ophthalmic education in the United States have influenced worldwide ophthalmic education and necessitated new methods of assessing resident competence. Accordingly, a new tool for assessing residents' competence in ophthalmic surgery (phacoemulsification) that could be applicable internationally was developed. We hypothesize that this instrument is valid and reliable.


METHODS
A panel of six international content experts adapted a previously published tool for assessing phacoemulsification. The tool (called the International Council of Ophthalmology's Ophthalmology Surgical Competency Assessment Rubric, or ICO-OSCAR:phaco) was reviewed by 12 international content experts for their constructive comments, which were incorporated to ensure content validity. Ten expert cataract surgery teachers then graded six recorded phacoemulsification surgeries with the ICO-OSCAR:phaco to investigate inter-rater reliability.


RESULTS
The coefficient alpha statistic (a measure of reliability/internal consistency) for the ICO-OSCAR:phaco as a whole was 0.92, and 17 of its 20 dimensions had alpha coefficients greater than 0.70.


CONCLUSIONS
The ICO-OSCAR:phaco is a valid and reliable assessment tool that could be applied internationally to satisfy the global need of new instruments to comply with emerging trends in ophthalmic education. A toolbox of similar surgical competency assessment tools is being developed.
Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Eye Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio (Dr Golnik); Department of Ophthalmology, Weill Cornell Medical College, The Methodist Hospital System, Houston, Texas, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (Dr Beaver); Department of Ophthalmology, Imperial Healthcare Institute, Dubai Healthcare City, and Department of Clinical Sciences, Dubai Medical College, United Arab Emirates (Dr Gauba); Departments of Ophthalmology, Neurology, and Neurosurgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Department of Ophthalmology, The Methodist Hospital System, Houston, Texas, the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (Dr Lee); Department of Ophthalmology, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina (Dr Mayorga and Dr Palis); and Moorfields Eye Hospital, South Wing, Bedford, United Kingdom (Dr Saleh).
C
C
Golnik
Hilary
H
Beaver
Vinod
V
Gauba
Andrew G
AG
Lee
Eduardo
E
Mayorga
Gabriela
G
Palis
George M
GM
Saleh
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000592:standards*; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D015203:Reproducibility of Results