An evaluation of co-management continuing education on the detection of eye diseases by optometrists

The purpose of this study is to determine if continuing education seminars dealing with detection of four types of eye diseases had a significant impact on the ability of the optometrists who attended to diagnose those eye diseases. Other concerns were the relationships between any significant difference in diagnoses and the stage of the optometrist's career or his readiness to learn as defined by their attendance at previous seminars.

During the Spring Semester of 1990, author-developed questiormaires were mailed to eighty-five optometrists who had attended a series of four continuing education seminars on four specific eye diseases. Resulting data were treated by appropriate statistical analyses, primarily t tests and ANOVAs, as indicated. Significance was determined at the .05 level, Data presented in this study revealed the following:

1. T tests indicated that there was no significant difference in on-the-job performance of the participants following their attendance at seminars on glaucoma and cataracts, but the difference in the on-the-job performance of the participants following the seminar on retinal diseases was approaching significance and following the one dealing with "other diseases" was significant.
2. There was no significant difference in the skills obtained or changes in the diagnoses made by the optometrists at different stages of their careers.
3. There was no relationship between any difference in the optometrist's on-the job performance and his readiness to learn as measured by the number of previous seminars he had attended.

The following conclusions are based upon the findings of the investigation:

1. There was no significant difference in the on-the-job diagnostic skills of the attending optometrists in most instances. However, there was significant difference in the on-the-job diagnostic skills of the optometrists following the seminar on other diseases.
2. There is no relationship between any change in the on-the-job diagnostic skills and the stage of the optometrist's career as defined by his age and the age of his patients.
3. Any change in the optometrist's on-the-job diagnostic skills did not appear to be related to his readiness to learn as defined by his attendance at previous seminars.