Development and introduction of a communication skills module for postgraduate students of ophthalmology.

Purpose: Effective communication lies at the heart of a patient--doctor relationship. Communication skills (CS) teaching and assessment is not a part of the postgraduate (PG) curriculum. Lack of effective CS in current PG students' results in patient distrust and dissatisfaction, conflicts, and compromised healthcare. The regulatory authorities of medical education have recognized the need to inculcate soft skills among medical graduates, one of which is CS. The purpose of this study was to assess the need for teaching CS to ophthalmology PG students and develop and introduce a module for the same. Methods: In this prospective, interventional study done at the ophthalmology department of a tertiary hospital, a validated 8 day CS workshop was conducted for 60 PG students through interactive lectures, observations, video sessions, and role plays. Feedbacks were obtained through narratives, validated Google survey, reflections and verbal method and analyzed. Results: In the needs assessment done on 27 departmental faculties, 20 faculties found poor communication to be a major reason for patient complaints. All faculties agreed that CS should be taught to medical students. Statistically significant improvement in CS awareness was noted among students after the workshop. Lack of CS training, work burden, and language were identified as main barriers to effective communication. All the students were satisfied with the workshop and wanted it to be conducted regularly. Conclusion: This study establishes that CS training is essential to improve patient satisfaction and patient-doctor relationships. Barriers to effective CS could be identified, for which possible solutions could be found.

Incidence and risk factors of retinopathy of prematurity in Western India - Report from A Regional Institute of Ophthalmology.

INTRODUCTION: Retinopathy of prematurity is an important cause of childhood blindness amongst premature babies in developing as well as developed world. OBJECTIVES: To report the incidence and risk factors of ROP from a regional institute of Ophthalmology in western India and compare it with the existing scenario. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was prospective observational study of babies born at <34 weeks of gestational and/or <1700 grams birth weight between January 2012 and October 2013. Birth related information viz. O2 administration was recorded in consultation with a neonatologist and babies were evaluated for the presence of ROP. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify risk factors for any-ROP and severe-ROP requiring treatment. RESULTS: Out of 280 babies screened, any-ROP was seen 54 babies(19.28%) out of which, severe-ROP was found in 28 babies(10.29%).Likelihood of developing any-ROP increased 3 fold (95%CI=1.1 - 6.5), and severe-ROP by 7 fold (95%CI=1.6 - 27.5), if oxygen therapy as administered. Older gestational age was associated with reduced likelihood of developing severe-ROP (Odds ratio=0.79, 95%CI=0.6 - 0.9) but not any-ROP. Twenty four babies (86%) with severe ROP responded well to laser or Bevacizumab therapy while 4 babies developed retinal detachment. CONCLUSION: This is the first report quoting only incidence and risk factors of ROP from western India. One in 5 babies develop any-ROP similar to that reported across rest of the country. The incidence of severe-ROP requiring treatment appears to be marginally higher, and treatment outcomes in these eyes are similar to that reported in literature.