Case Study Summary | Pre-activity Evaluation
Overview
Focusing Ophthalmology on Reframing Glaucoma Education (FORGE) II: Perimetry in the Diagnosis and Management of Glaucoma is a series of continuing medical education symposia with 8 regional events (Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Miami, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C.) and 1 national event (American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting in Las Vegas) between August 2006 and April 2007. This is the second year Vindico Medical Education has conducted the FORGE symposia series. The 2005 version focused on structure in managing glaucoma, while the 2006 version emphasizes the role of function and the synthesis of the two in diagnosing and managing patients.
Program Design
At each symposium in the FORGE I series, evaluations were collected from the audience and these data were compiled at the end of the series and used to help develop the content and establish the need for the FORGE II program. Among the comments that were received from multiple participants was that the case studies included in the presentation were a valuable learning model. As a result, the FORGE II program was designed to include 4 step-by-step case studies. A number of surveys asked for more information about perimetry, and this became the focus for the FORGE II series.
Pre-symposium Baseline
In planning FORGE II, Vindico Medical Education took the additional step to solicit information from physicians registering for the activity in order to establish the baseline knowledge of glaucoma screening for the audience in each city. In order to register on-line at the event Web site, participants must complete a section titled “Tell us about your practice” which asks about the percentage of glaucoma patients in their practice, their comfort level with interpreting perimetry results, the tools they use in diagnosing and monitoring glaucoma, and what new information they hope to learn at FORGE II. Participants cannot complete registration without answering these questions. The “Tell us about your practice” section is also included on the registration form included in the brochure mailed to prospective attendees. The survey data from on-line and hard copy registrations has then been shared with the course director and faculty prior to the meeting as a way to gauge who their audience is, what concepts may require additional explanation and what concepts were already well known to the audience.
Incorporating Pre-meeting Survey Data
The baseline level of the audience feedback has also been used to improve the overall content of the program. When the overall baseline knowledge for registrants for the New York event came in higher than that of the Los Angeles and Boston events, one of the core faculty members suggested that “Based on the survey results suggesting that the participants see themselves as "somewhat comfortable" or "comfortable" with perimetry, do we need to improve FORGE II prior to New York. I think that we do…”
Based on this feedback, several of the more basic slides were removed and more sophisticated concepts were introduced, such as the fact that visual field defects may not always correspond to structural defects, which underscores the importance of reviewing both when examining a patient. Other additions included the tendency of optic disc hemorrhages to dissipate over time, the importance of considering even small visual field defects that can expand over time and an expanded explanation of the role of stimulus size vs. field size.
Responding to Attendee Feedback
As with FORGE I, evaluations have been collected after each FORGE II program. This year the data have been shared with the faculty after each meeting and have been used to modify content from city to city in order to refine the delivery of the educational message based on feedback from attendees. Among the suggestions that have been received at one event and incorporated in subsequent events are additional case studies, additional discussion of the limitations of grayscale in diagnosing glaucoma and discussing that as glaucoma progresses, automated perimetry readings need to be reinterpreted.
Post-symposium Outcomes
The series concludes in April 2007. At that time, all survey comments will be compiled and shared with the organizing faculty in order to establish the need for further educational activities and to develop the concepts and content for FORGE III. In addition, comments about the devices used within FORGE II that were most useful, i.e., case studies, have been incorporated into the planning of other continuing medical education activities in eye care and in other medical specialties. Vindico also plans to send a follow-up survey to all attendees to see if their expectations and gaps in learning were met.
Conclusion
From the inception of this project, the educational needs of attendees, as established by pre- and post-meeting participant surveys, has been used to drive the content of this continuing medical education series. Data from last year’s meetings established the need for a follow-up educational series. Baseline knowledge of registrants was used to direct what concepts needed further explanation to ensure attendee education and fill in knowledge gaps about perimetry. Post-meeting surveys let planners and faculty know what areas needed revisions prior to subsequent meetings, and these comments were used and continue to be used to improve the content for each meeting. As a result of this process of soliciting and incorporating attendee opinions, the FORGE II has been significantly improved from its initial version and the expected outcome is that all who registered for the program will have a greater understanding of perimetry, resulting in improved patient care.
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