Accepted Type
Oral
Code
OC2-2-1
Acceptance Declaration
Accept
Additional Information
I declare I have no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this program.
Was this work accepted for CCME 2020?
no
Category
General Call (Workshop, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation)
Type
Oral
Sub Type
Education Research
Will the presenter be a:
Student
Affiliation
Considered for Poster
yes
Title
The Attitudes of Canadian Ophthalmology Residents and Pre-Clerkship Medical Students at an Ontario Medical School Towards Homeless Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study
Length of Presentation
Background/Purpose
Homeless individuals experience visual impairment at rates much higher than the general population. This cross-sectional study assessed the attitudes of Canadian ophthalmology residents(PGY1-5) and pre-clerkship medical students(year 1 and 2) at the University of Toronto, towards homeless individuals.
Methods
Residents and students were invited to complete the Health Professionals' Attitudes Towards the Homeless Inventory(HPATHI) tool to assess attitudes, interests and confidence in working with the homeless population on a 5-point Likert scale. Comparisons were made between residents and pre-clerkship learners and between junior and senior residents using the Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U test.
Results
Responses were received from 114 of 220 ophthalmology residents(52%) and 315 of 534(59%) pre-clerkship medical students. Residents had significantly more negative overall attitudes(pre-clerk median=4.4, resident median=4.1, both still indicating positive attitudes) and interests(pre-clerk median=4.0, resident median=3.3, residents with more neutral interests) towards working with the homeless population compared to pre-clerkship students. Using both statistical methods, beliefs were significantly more negative in 7 of 9 'Attitude' items, 5 of 5 'Interest' items and 1 of 4 'Confidence' items. Ophthalmology residents were more positive in 1 of 4 of the 'Confidence' items. Attitudes were similar across PGY1-5 training years, except PGY4 and PGY5 residents were more negative than PGY1-3 residents on 1 of 5 'Interest' items.
Conclusion
Ophthalmology residents have an at least neutral perception of individuals experiencing homelessness, while medical students have a more positive opinion. Studies exploring optimal ways to advocate for this population are needed for Canada's eye-care trainees.
Keyword 1
medical education
Keyword 2
public health
Keyword 3
ophthalmology
Level of Training
General
Abstract Themes
Postgraduate
Additional Theme (First choice)
Undergraduate
Additional Theme (Second Choice)
Continuing Medical Education
Additional Theme (Third Choice)
Professionalism
Authors
Presenter
Aman Sayal
Term 1
Yes
Term 2
Yes
Term 3
Yes
Term 4
Yes
Term 5
Yes
