Impact of extracapsular cataract extraction surgical instructional video on self-directed learning of surgical skills in a tertiary eye care centre

Training and education forms the foundation for sustaining the patient-centred, evidence-based healthcare system we have, and attaining competency in psychomotor skills is pivotal to being a competent ophthalmologist. With the advent of modern technology, the traditional apprenticeship model of attaining surgical competency is rightly challenged, improved on and supplemented with digital media strategies. Video-based teaching of clinical skills has been found to be more time effective and cost-effective in terms of reducing workloads of the trainer as well as on faculty resources.1 With the introduction of modern phacoemulsification, the art of performing a good ECCE surgery is increasingly lost. There are many videos detailing surgical tips and highlighting pitfalls to avoid for phacoemulsification but few with regard to ECCE surgery. ECCE remains an excellent surgical technique to fall back on should difficulties be encountered during phacoemulsification.2 There are specific requirements at our centre before a patient ‘qualifies’ for ECCE over phacoemulsification including a dense, brunescent cataract with poor visual acuity. This leads to limited numbers of ECCE cases being listed for surgery. Together with larger intakes of residents, the number of ECCE cases a resident performs is few and far between. With each surgery, one learns from the specific mistakes made, how …