A new study, titled “Assessing Educational Impact of Worldwide Webinar on Management of Myopia Progression in Children,” has been published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (IJERPH) as part of its 2nd Edition on Epidemiology and Global Health. The Fundingsland Group (TFG) played a significant role in this publication!
The goal of the study was to gauge the educational impact of a World Society of Paediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (WSPOS) webinar on managing pediatric myopia. TFG collaborated with WSPOS to organize and conduct the webinar, and TFG’s Head of Survey Science and Analytics, Jon Heston, performed much of the analysis presented in the publication, serving as the second author.
The study surveyed respondents before, immediately after, and 8 weeks after they attended one or both of two three-hour WSPOS pediatric myopia webinars held on consecutive days, which had 701 and 606 global attendees on the first and second days, respectively.
The findings revealed a significant increase in the percentage of attendees who felt very confident in managing myopia immediately after the webinar, a boost that persisted even 8 weeks later. This trend held regardless of whether participants attended Day 1 or Day 2 and whether they referred to managing younger children (<8 years) or older children (8–12 years). Additionally, there were immediate and sustained improvements in self-reported understanding of orthokeratology & multifocal soft contact lenses or spectacles & pharmaceutical options for treating myopia.
Lastly, 8-week follow-up further showed that 76% of respondents reported the program significantly improved their understanding, and 91% had either changed or planned to change their clinical practices as a result of the program. Those who did not implement changes cited cost and patient compliance as key barriers.
Overall, the study demonstrates that webinars are an effective method for disseminating education on myopia management and provides evidence that such programs can lead to changes in clinical practice.
Please follow this link to find out more information, read the full article (open access), or read other articles in that issue of the full issue of the IJERPH.
