Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-25-2021

Comments

This article has been peer reviewed. It was published in: MedEdPORTAL: the journal of teaching and learning resources.

Volume 17, 25 January 2021, Page 11075.

The published version is available at DOI: 10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11075

Copyright © 2021 Raikin et al.

This is an open-access publication distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license.

Abstract

Introduction: A retrobulbar hematoma (RH) is a serious time-dependent diagnosis due to its potential for permanent damage of the optic nerve, resulting in blindness. Emergency medicine (EM) physicians face the challenge of recognizing this time-sensitive injury and treating it before irreversible damage occurs. Due to its relative infrequency in the emergency department, residents may not have adequate experience in recognizing and treating RH.

Methods: This educational intervention outlined a simulated scenario that we developed to educate EM residents to diagnose RH and perform an emergent lateral canthotomy and cantholysis (LCC). Participating residents were asked to obtain a history and perform a physical examination that was consistent with a 34-year-old patient presenting with pushing behind the eye suggesting RH. Once residents made a diagnosis, they practiced performing an emergent LCC on a low-fidelity task trainer supplemented with a novel checklist. The residents completed an assessment questionnaire before and after the teaching module to measure the educational intervention's effectiveness.

Results: Learners' scores significantly improved in the ability to recognize and treat RH (12%,

Discussion: This educational intervention is a successful resource that can decrease cases of preventable blindness by improving EM residents' ability to recognize and treat RHs.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

PubMed ID

33521252

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