Application-Based Education for Corneal Foreign Body Removal in an Emergency Medicine Residency - 20/01/26
Abstract |
Study objective |
To assess whether Emergency Procedures App (EPApp) use among emergency physicians improves knowledge and skill in performing corneal foreign body removal compared with usual practice.
Methods |
This single-blinded, multicenter, randomized trial involved emergency physicians assessing their knowledge and performance in corneal foreign body removal. Participants were randomized into 2 groups (crossover and EPApp) and completed written and procedural assessments. The crossover group was initially prepared using usual methods, whereas the EPApp group reviewed the EPApp. Both groups used the EPApp for the second attempt. Performance scores from both attempts were compared, with subgroup analyses based on postgraduate years (PGYs) experience less than 4 or more than or equal to 4).
Results |
Thirty physicians were recruited, including 14 with PGYs less than 4. The crossover group had 16 participants, with 8 PGYs less than 4. Initial mean test scores w e re lower in the crossover arm (53%, standard deviation [SD]: 26%) compared with the EPApp arm (72%, SD:15%) (mean difference 18.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.8, 35). Both groups improved on their second attempt, with larger improvement in the crossover group (25.4%; SD:15.6%; 95% CI 17.14, 33.73) compared with the EPApp arm (13.4%; SD:10.3%; 95% CI 7.45, 19.26). The greatest improvements were seen in participants with PGYs less than 4.
Conclusion |
EPApp use improved knowledge and procedural skills in corneal foreign body removal, especially for junior physicians. Further research into its effectiveness for other procedures and with broader participant groups is warranted.
Le texte complet de cet article est disponible en PDF.Keywords : App learning, Procedural skills, Medical education
Plan
| Please see page 193 for the Editor’s Capsule Summary of this article. |
|
| Supervising editor: Ambrose H. Wong, MD, MSEd. Specific detailed information about possible conflict of interest for individual editors is available at editors . |
|
| Author contributions: VJ, JM, and AC conceived the study and designed the trial. JM obtained research funding. VJ and AC gained ethics approval. VJ and JM undertook recruitment of participating centers and study participants. VJ and JM collected data. VJ and AC undertook statistical analysis. VJ drafted the manuscript, and all authors contributed substantially to its revision. VJ takes responsibility for the paper as a whole. |
|
| Data sharing statement: Deidentified data can be provided by emailing the corresponding author VJ at viranrakshitha.jayanetti@health.nsw.gov.au . |
|
| All authors attest to meeting the four ICMJE.org authorship criteria: (1) Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND (2) Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND (3) Final approval of the version to be published; AND (4) Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. |
|
| Funding and support: By Annals’ policy, all authors are required to disclose any and all commercial, financial, and other relationships in any way related to the subject of this article as per ICMJE conflict of interest guidelines (see www.icmje.org/ ). |
|
| Dr. James Miers is a principal author in development of the Emergency Procedures App. Dr. Viran Jayanetti was involved in authoring the section on corneal foreign body removal. Dr. Viran Jayanetti will also be using this research to fulfill his 4.10 research component of the Australian College of Emergency Medicine training program. This study and the EPApp were supported by a grant from the Prince of Wales Hospital Foundation. |
|
| Readers: click on the link to go directly to a survey in which you can provide BBMKMTZ to Annals on this particular article. |
|
| A podcast for this article is available at www.annemergmed.com . |
Vol 87 - N° 2
P. 192-199 - février 2026 Retour au numéro
Article précédent
- Risk Factors for Traumatic Intracranial Hemorrhage in Older Adults Sustaining a Head Injury in Ground-Level Falls: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- Xavier Dubucs, Véronique Gingras, Valérie Boucher, Pierre-Hugues Carmichael, Marianne Ruel, Kerstin De Wit, Keerat Grewal, Éric Mercier, Pierre-Gilles Blanchard, Axel Benhamed, Sandrine Charpentier, Marcel Émond
- Continuing Violence From the Out-of-Hospital Setting to the Emergency Department and Hospital: A Cohort Study on Longitudinal Violence in Health Care
- Sarayna S. McGuire, Erik J. Wanberg, Fernanda Bellolio, Bou Gazley, Aidan F. Mullan, Casey M. Clements
Bienvenue sur EM-consulte, la référence des professionnels de santé.
L’accès au texte intégral de cet article nécessite un abonnement.
Déjà abonné à cette revue ?