Surveys

A team of researchers at the University of Melbourne are conducting a pilot study to investigate if and how the new CPD requirements are impacting practice. They are seeking input from a variety of Fellows including different career stage, practice type, and practice location.

You are invited to participate in this longitudinal qualitative research project which includes a short 5 minute demographic survey, sharing your professional development plan, an entrance interview (approximately 1 hour), a number of self-recorded audio diaries where you reflect on an experience related to CPD and the CPD requirements (approximately 5-10 minutes per entry), and an exit interview (approximately 1 hour).

Participating in the study involves reflecting and therefore you will be able to claim reviewing performance CPD hours for your engagement in this research. As a token of appreciation and in recognition that you are a busy doctor, you will also be offered a $100 gift voucher after completion of data collection.

The plain language statement explains the research in more detail and what is being asked of you should you choose to participate. Please read the statement, and do not hesitate to contact the Project Supervisor (Louise Allen – louise.allen@unimelb.edu.au) if you have any questions.

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For RANZCO Trainees only.

Building a competitive CV for ophthalmology training can be an enduring process. We are investigating the financial costs of preparing for RANZCO training applications.

This study is approved by RVEEH HREC (Project: 115351)

For further enquiries, please contact Zac Angus: zang0006@student.monash.edu. Principal Investigator: Robyn Troutbeck.

See the flyer.

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Cataract and refractive lens exchange surgical intervention rates continue to increase annually. Demand for cataract and refractive surgery continues to increase as the population ages. Offering immediate sequential bilateral same day surgery may be one solution to combat the increased surgical waitlists. Countries such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States have adopted this approach. However, little information exists on its use in Australia or New Zealand.

This survey aims to understand the perspectives of RANZCO Fellows on immediate sequential bilateral same-day refractive surgery, including:

• Their awareness of its potential benefits and limitations
• Current implementation rates
• Factors influencing their decision to perform or abstain from this approach

Responses will be anonymous and analysed as a group. Findings will be published in ophthalmology journals and presented at conferences in the near future.

This study is approved by RANZCO HREC (Ref: 169.24) for Australia and NZ HDEC (Ref: 19438) for New Zealand.

For further enquiries, please contact:
Dr. Shanu Subbiah: shanu.s@eyeinstitute.co.nz (Principal Investigator)
Dr. Ruhella R Hossain: ruhella.hossain@gmail.com (Co-Investigator)

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You are invited to participate in a study on Transparent Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare. The purpose of the study is to examine what level and type of transparency around AI-based medical devices is needed by clinicians, and propose measures on how the Australian government could enhance transparency around AI-based medical devices.

The study will consist of four main stages: (1) interviews with clinicians on the needed for transparency around AI-based medical devices; (2) analysis of laws that currently set information/transparency duties with relation to medical devices in Australia and their adequacy; (3) an international comparison on how AI transparency and explainability principles are regulated in other jurisdictions (US); and (4) the development of proposals on how the Australian government could improve transparency and explainability around AI-based medical devices. You are kindly invited to participate in the first stage of the project, namely, in the interviews with clinicians.

Please read the Participant Information Statement and the Participant Consent Form.

If you would like to express interest in participating in the research study, please contact Tatiana Aranovich directly (contact details below).

Tatiana Aranovich contact details:
Phone: +61 (0) 477 096 125
Email: tatiana.aranovich@hdr.mq.edu.au

How medical students and doctors understand, interpret and respond to emotional experiences in the workplace.

University of Queensland PhD candidate, Dr Bruce Lister, a retired Paediatric Intensivist, invites you to participate in a research project on Emotion in Medicine by sharing your perspectives through a survey +/- interview.

Meta-emotion (the thoughts and feelings one has about emotions) is crucial in medical settings where emotional literacy significantly impacts patient care and physician well-being. The study will explore how doctors’ beliefs about emotions and their strategies for managing emotions evolve through different stages of their training. Additionally, it will examine the prevalence of alexithymia, a trait characterized by difficulty in identifying and expressing emotions, within the medical community. A significant aspect of this research is understanding the concept of “professional alexithymia,” a phenomenon where doctors, influenced by the hidden curriculum, learn to suppress their emotions. Emotion suppression can be a survival mechanism in high-stress medical environments leading doctors to develop a thick mask of professionalism that can make them appear unempathetic. This conditioned emotional detachment, while protective in the short term, can lead to poor long term emotional capability.

See the flyer. Contact Dr Bruce Lister at brucelister@mac.com for more information. Ethics ID number: 2023/HE001885

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All Kiwi fellows are invited to partake in the 4th NZ cataract survey. It is a decade since the last and your colleagues feel it is time for an update – lets see what everyone else is doing and how your practice fits in? We appreciate that these surveys take up your precious time but cataract surgery is such an integral part of what we do that we hope you will partake and share with us so we can share the findings with you. Total anonymity assured.

Many thanks indeed from the Survey team and especially big thanks if you have already completed it at NZ branch meeting.

If you have any questions about this survey, contact Graham Wilson at graham@kiwieye.co.nz

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COVID-19 was a source of great disruption to ophthalmologists in Victoria, and while things have improved, many of us will see another pandemic in our working lives. This means that now is the perfect time to reflect on COVID-19 practices and plan a better pandemic response.

Second year trainee Dr Zelia Chiu and Prof Penny Allen have created a short (less than 2 minute) survey with 8 questions designed to understand your experiences with COVID-19.

They hypothesise that if adequate PPE was used, more ophthalmologists contracted COVID from outside work than at work, meaning many of the disruptions to clinical and surgical work were not required.

They aim to publish these results formally to provide a basis for future planning.

If you have any questions about this survey, contact Zelia Chiu at zelia.k19@gmail.com

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Would you like to influence the future of healthcare?

Have you used clinical decision support tools/healthcare automation tools/artificial intelligence tools/generative AI in the practice of
healthcare? If so, we would like to hear about your experiences to help inform the sector.

Researchers at Swinburne University are studying experiences of healthcare delivery using automated tools and their impact on healthcare relationships.

They are looking for health professionals who have experience using or have explored using automated tools for healthcare delivery.

Participation involves a confidential audio recorded interview of about one hour conducted via Zoom.

Your participation may:

• Provide professional development through an opportunity to reflect on your
  practice
• Contribute to a study that could shape the future of healthcare
• Networking opportunities – a summary event will be held

Please see the Participant information and Consent form with further information about the study.

To volunteer to take part, please fill out the short survey form. Contact Frances Shaw on fshaw@swin.edu.au with questions or for more
information.

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Calling all ophthalmologists in Australia and New Zealand: Join the ANZ Survey of Practice Patterns in Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) and help provide a real clinical cross-section of glaucoma care in ANZ. Your professional experience is invaluable in advancing how we understand and tackle POAG.

Why Your Voice Matters:

• Inform Best Practices: Your experience will offer a fresh perspective on POAG practices, shaping the first comprehensive review in nearly two decades.
• Shareable Knowledge: Your input will lead to shared insights, inspiring comprehensive advancements in care.

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In 2018, Angelo Tsirbas sought to understand the prevalence of patients with any eye complications from cosmetic fillers. He is repeating the exercise in 2023.

If you have you seen any patients with any eye complications from cosmetic fillers including:

• Iatrogenic vascular occlusion of the Ophthalmic artery or retinal circulation
• diplopia
• orbital swelling
• allergy reactions
• ocular inflammation

Please email ranzco@ranzcodev.dev.nucleoserver.com

Based on the responses, Dr Tsirbas will contact you directly to discuss the cases.

RANZCO Fellows and trainees are invited to participate in a study focusing on Australia and New Zealand ophthalmologists’ experiences of occupational related musculoskeletal pain and injury.

This study is being facilitated by Dr Adam Gartner and Dr Malcolm McKellar and has been approved by the RANZCO Ethics Committee.

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