Attracting workforce to paediatric ophthalmology
Reviewed by Fiona Rowe

This was a survey-based study to address unanswered questions relating to economic and workforce issues in paediatric ophthalmology. The survey comprised 12 questions with yes / no or multiple-choice responses and was circulated to American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS) members. The response rate was 17.4%; 287 responses. Paediatric ophthalmology was believed by paediatric ophthalmologists to be a prestigious specialty. A hybrid fellowship of paediatric ophthalmology and adult cataract surgery was considered by 47.7% to increase the numbers attracted to the subspeciality. Early exposure of the profession to medical students was favoured by 65.9% and 28.2% believed that AAPOS lobbyists could be successful in preventing future Medicaid cuts. A wait of 1-2 months for non-emergency surgery was reported by 47%, 50.9% had a wait time of >2 months for new appointments and 46.7% with similar wait times for follow-up. On breakdown, differences in wait times were noted for academic vs private practice. This study noted that all suggestions to improve the attraction to paediatric ophthalmology face challenges practically and require long-term review. There is a US relevance with regard to Medicaid reimbursement but there may be relevance to other countries where there is also reliance on insurance payments.

Unanswered questions pertaining to the economic and workforce issues in paediatric ophthalmology.
Lee KE, Sussberg JA, Nelson LB, et al.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS
2023;60(3):163-9.