Affiliate Information: Prevent Blindness Ohio
Contact: Wendy Klein, 614-464-2020 x 103
email: wendyk@pbohio.org
The purpose of the Preschool Vision Screening Medical Education Program is to educate medical interns/residents and other medical ancillary staff on basic children’s eye health and about the importance of and methods for vision assessment for young children.
Objective:
1. To increase knowledge about eye health and the importance of vision assessment in young children for medical interns/residents and other medical ancillary staff.
Activities:
1. Develop a one hour program for pediatric and family practice residents, interns, primary care nursing staff that can be presented during lunch and/or Grand Rounds.
2. Pilot program with 10 residency programs.
3. Refine program based on pilot.
4. Schedule presentations at additional residency programs in Ohio.
In a 1996 survey conducted by the Ohio Department of Health, Children’s Hospital Columbus and Prevent Blindness Ohio, 41% of primary care providers in Central Ohio do not vision screen three year olds and 33% of providers do not screen five year olds. The same survey determined that 46% of the primary care practices that do vision screening agreed that their vision screening could be improved via updated techniques, training and equipment.
The need for improving and increasing training on vision assessment and referral for primary care providers is further documented by a study conducted by the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services of Ohio Medicaid managed care plans for SFY 1999, which indicated that only 35% of children received the required vision assessment during their HealthChek visit. A similar study of Ohio Medicaid fee-for-service providers indicated that only 16% of children received a vision assessment during their HealthChek visit.
Prevent Blindness Ohio began working with the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2003 to address the need to educate primary care providers about children’s eye health and the importance of vision assessment while they are still in their training programs . By doing this, it is our hope that when these new physicians finish their training program and begin practicing medicine, they will integrate the information and skills they learned into the care they provide for their young patients on a daily basis. Our goal is to eventually present this program in each of Ohio’s 8 pediatric residency programs and 22 family practice residency programs. We plan to reach 10 programs annually.
The Immediate Past President of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Dr. Chris Rizzo) drafted the content of the Preschool Vision Screening Medical Education Program based on the Preschool Vision Screening for Healthcare Professionals manual that PBO uses in all of our trainings (this manual was written in cooperation with the American Academy of Pediatrics).
The one hour program is presented in lecture format (with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation) with hands-on demonstrations of the Lea Chart and the RDE glasses. The main objectives covered in the presentation are:
1. To identify common eye problems that may lead to amblyopia;
2. Review AAP recommendations for eye examination at well child visits; and
3. Compare methods of screening for visual acuity and ocular alignment.
Based upon our project objective and activities, the following results have been achieved to date:
1. Dr. Chris Rizzo, Immediate Past President of the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics developed a one hour medical education program for pediatric and family practice residents, interns and primary care nursing staff.
2. The program has been piloted with two programs to date serving 57 pediatric and family practice residents and interns. Three additional programs are scheduled through June, 2005.
3. To date, 100% of the evaluations agreed that the course objectives were met, that the presentation flowed logically and that the speaker was knowledgeable. 93% agreed that they learned new information that will help them in their practice (1 response was “neither agree or disagree”)
4. Ten additional presentations are scheduled to be presented annually.
For additional information about the Preschool Vision Screening Medical Education Program, contact Prevent Blindness Ohio at 1-800-301-2020.
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Ohio's Aging Eye Public Private Partnerhip:
a statewide collaboration preparing for the growth of aging eye challenges in Ohio
Find out more HERE.
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Vision Problems in Ohio:
prevalence of adult vision impairment and age-related eye disease in Ohio
Find out more HERE.
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