Managing in early COVID-19: The Nigerian optometry experience

This study was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of Nigerian optometrists and optometry students with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic, while also assessing its impact of their daily personal and professional routines. The Google Forms suite was used to design an online struc- tured survey/questionnaire. This was sent to Nigerian optometrists and optometry students along with a message soliciting their voluntary participation. This survey took place between 10th April and 15th May 2020. The responses received were electronically transmitted to the authors and populated via Google suite software. Descriptive statistics and inferences were then derived from these data. A total of 399 valid responses were logged during this study. Of these, 183 (45.4%) respondents were optometry students from the eight optometry education departments in Nigeria. Optometric doctors made up 216 of the respondents. 86% of optometrists reported having cases of COVID-19 in their state. No optometrists reported suffering from the COVID-19 disease while one (0.5%) student had been infected with COVID-19. Twelve percent of student respondents felt educational facilities were adequate to cater for post COVID- 19 resumption, while 21.5% of students felt that the ongoing academic session should be restarted. The COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted greatly on service delivery among Nigerian optometrists and optometry education. Educational institutions must also adjust to current realities in order to be able to provide safe and adequate training when the academic section resumes or restarts.

Impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of optometry students at a higher education institution: A case study

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak poses serious threats to the physical and mental health of individuals worldwide. The lockdown strategy and social distancing regulations adopted in South Africa have disrupted the day-to-day life activities of all people including students.Aim: To explore the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of optometry students at a higher education institution.Setting: The study population included optometry students currently registered at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, in Durban, South Africa.Methods: The study adopted a case study research design and used an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews to collect data. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire that assesses depression, anxiety and stress subscales was used. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The interview data were analysed using thematic content analysis.Results: A total of 147 participants responded to the online questionnaire and consisted of majority black people (n = 98), female (n = 114) and second year (n = 58) students. The majority of the participants had normal scores for depression (n = 97), anxiety (n = 79) and stress (n = 107). Only a few participants had scores indicating severe or extremely severe depression (n = 13), anxiety (n = 23) and stress (n = 5). Follow-up interviews were conducted with 10 participants and of these, seven reported that COVID-19 had a negative impact on their ability to concentrate and they felt anxious about examining patients. Factors such as stigma and judgment were perceived as hindrances to seeking mental health help.Conclusion: Most participants had normal scores for depression, anxiety and stress; however, some participants presented with abnormal scores. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health should be highlighted and higher education authorities should plan and provide appropriate services to improve the quality of life of affected students.

Observations on Optometry in the Veteran's Administration from an Optometric Educator's Perspective

This invited address was presented at the 42nd Annual Meeting of the National Association of Veteran’s Administration Optometrists (NAVAO), Thursday, October 24, 2019, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Orlando, FL. This paper discusses medicine, dentistry, and optometry’s entry into the Veteran’s Administrations System as well as optometry’s many challenges to become an Optometry Service. It also reviews the many challenges the profession has faced as it has endeavored to increase the number of VA optometry staff positions and the educational experience of optometry students, residents and fellows in providing eye care for America’s veterans.

Health profession readiness for interprofessional education in the Central Appalachia: a cross-sectional study

Background: This study on interprofessional relationships took place in Eastern Kentucky analyzing optometry, medical and nursing students at the University of Pikeville. The Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS), regarding all three healthcare professional schools, was used to measure and determine students' views on working with one another. The purpose of the study was to examine similarities and differences in student attitudes across the three health professional programs within the same university. Methods: Second year University of Pikeville (UPIKE) nursing, optometry, and medical students were given survey questions that followed the validated 19-item Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS). Results: While the optometry and medical students demonstrated statistically similar attitudes, key statistical findings included that nursing students were more likely than medical students to believe that clinical problem solving can only be learned effectively with students/professionals from their own school/organization (p = 0.015); nursing students were more likely than medical students to welcome the opportunity to work on small group projects with other health and social care students/professionals (p = 0.018); and nursing students were more likely than both optometry and medical students to not be sure what their professional role will be/is (p=.005). Conclusions: At the UPIKE, there is an observable difference between the attitudes toward IPE. Nursing students appeared to have a more positive attitude toward IPE than medical and optometry students, with the medical and optometry students having similar attitudes.

Student Perspectives of Extended Clinical Placements in Optometry: A Qualitative Study

BackgroundThe number of students enrolled in health courses at Australian universities is rising, increasing demand for clinical placements. Optometry students have historically undertaken clinical training in short-block rotations at University-led teaching clinics in metropolitan locations. This is changing, with some optometry programs adopting extended placements similar to the longitudinal clerkships seen in the medical field. These placements are conducted in private community-based practices across Australia and New Zealand with many incorporating a rural component to the training. This study sought to explore optometry students’ experience of extended placements. MethodsNine focus groups were undertaken with 42 final year optometry students upon completion of a 26 week placement (of which at least half was undertaken in a non-metropolitan area, or area where a shortage of optometrists has been identified). Focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was conducted according to Braun and Clarke’s 6 step method. Key themes were determined following an inductive qualitative descriptive approach to analysis. ResultsFour key themes emerged from the analysis. ‘Changing identity’, was about how the students grew both personally and professionally, with the extended placement being considered the vital component that allowed students to begin thinking of themselves as clinicians. ‘Practicing resilience’ related to circumstances where students experienced personality clashes, miscommunications, bullying, and boundary crossing. ‘Optometrist under instruction’, related to students feeling that the placement was an ideal opportunity to trial the everyday reality of work without the obligation of an ongoing commitment or employment contract. Finally, ‘Rural practice is more rewarding’, was about practicing rurally being a ‘rite of passage’, a chance to seek different experiences, meet new people and for students to challenge themselves professionally. ConclusionsStudents felt that the placement prepared them for real-world practice. The majority of students enjoyed their placements. However, there were instances where the student-supervisor relationship was strained. This resulted in high levels of anxiety that was made worse by a perceived lack of university support. Students believed rural placements offered them a richer experience when compared with metropolitan placements.

An association between accessing lecture recordings, but not lecture attendance, and overall marks for optometry students in a pharmacology course

Background: Most studies, in the absence and presence of lecture recordings, have shown that there is an association between lecture attendance and academic performance for students of the biological sciences, but it is not known whether this occurs when lecture attendance is low. The effect of accessing lecture recordings on academic outcomes is not clear. The aims were (i) to determine any association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes for students who had access to lecture recordings, (ii) to describe how students use lecture recordings, and (iii) to determine any association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes.Methods: During the lecture in week 1 and workshops in week 2, written consent was sought from the students to undertake the study. Lecture attendance and lecture recording access were measured. To determine whether there was an association between attending lectures or accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes, Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated.Results: Consent was forthcoming from 48 students (75%). The main findings in this study of lecture attendance and lecture recording access in second year undergraduate optometry students in a pharmacology course were (i) lecture attendance was very low (mean, 15%), (ii) there was no association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes, (iii) early in semester, most of the accessing of lecture recordings was shortly after the lecture was presented, whereas later in the semester, most of the accessing was prior to the examination, and (iv) there was a significant weak association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes.Conclusions: It is possible that as lecture attendance decreases and students become more reliant on lecture recordings, the positive association between lecture attendance and academic outcomes is lost, and a positive association between accessing lecture recordings and academic outcomes emerges.