Background and Aim. Regular vision screening in adulthood supports early detection of vision impairments yet increasing demand for eye care places growing pressure on ophthalmic services. Although validated tablet-based screening tools may help extend screening capacity beyond specialist settings, limited evidence exists on how non-ophthalmologist examiners can be trained to use them competently. This study evaluated whether nurses and medical students could acquire the skills required for bedside tablet-based visual acuity and stereovision screening after a short, structured competency-based training program.
Materials and Methods. A prospective, non-blinded educational pilot study included 24 nurses and medical students. Participants completed a competency-based training program designed according to Miller’s Pyramid of Clinical Competence and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle. Following theoretical training, supervised practice, and feedback, participants performed bedside visual acuity and stereovision testing on trauma inpatients using a tablet-based application. Each participant examined three patients on training day and three additional patients after a two-week consolidation period. Overall, 144 screening examinations were conducted on 48 patients. Learning outcomes included training satisfaction, perceived competence, application usability, and observer-rated clinical competence, while semi-structured interviews explored participants’ experiences.
Results. All participants completed training and bedside screening processes without major technical or procedural difficulties. Training satisfaction and application usability remained high with mean scores 9.8/10 and 9.7/10. Self-assessed competence improved significantly after the consolidation period (7.41±1.26 vs. 7.74 ±1.12; p=0.033), while observer-rated competence scores remained high. Interviews provided additional insight into learning processes and factors influencing competence acquisition.
Conclusions. A short, structured competency-based training program may be a feasible model for preparing non-ophthalmologist examiners to perform tablet-based bedside vision screening. High acceptability, excellent usability, self-perceived competence, and consistently high observer-rated performance support the educational value of this approach. Further studies should evaluate measurement accuracy and clinical reliability when screening is performed by trained non-specialist examiners.