Practicing Ophthalmologists Curriculum

Background on the Practicing Ophthalmologists Curriculum (POC)

At the request of the ABO, the Academy developed the Practicing Ophthalmologists Curriculum (POC), a knowledge base that identifies and defines areas of knowledge important to the delivery of quality eye care as a basis for the content of examinations for the Maintenance of Certification process. The content in the POC is comprised of the information deemed as the most relevant clinical information for a practicing ophthalmologist.

The ABO has agreed that their Periodic Ophthalmic Review Tests (PORT) and Demonstration of Ophthalmic Cognitive Knowledge (DOCK) exam will be based entirely on the POC. The ABO is solely responsible for creating the DOCK exam and for certifying MOC candidates. The Academy has developed study tools based on the POC to assist doctors preparing to meet these MOC requirements.

Organization of the POC
The Practicing Ophthalmologists Curriculum comprises 10 practice emphasis areas (PEA), plus Core Ophthalmic Knowledge. The ABO has designated the following as practice emphasis areas:

Core Ophthalmic Knowledge
Comprehensive Ophthalmology
Cataract/Anterior Segment
Cornea/External Disease
Glaucoma
Neuro-Ophthalmology andOrbit
Oculoplastics and Orbit
Pediatric Ophthalmology/Strabismus
Refractive Management/Intervention
Retina/Vitreous
Uveitis

In addition, every diplomate sitting for the DOCK examination will be tested on Core Ophthalmic Knowledge. Core Ophthalmic Knowledge is defined as the fundamental knowledge every practicing ophthalmologist must have whatever their area of practice.

Each PEA is categorized into topics presented in an outline format, for easier reading and understanding of the relevant information points by the reader. These outlines are based on a standard clinical diagnosis and treatment approach found in the Academy’s Preferred Practice Patterns.

For each topic, there are Additional Resources that may contain journal citations and reference to textbooks. These resources are supplemental to the topic outline, and should not be necessary for MOC exam preparation purposes. Also listed are related Academy educational materials that might be helpful if the reader wishes to explore topics in greater detail.

Creation of the POC
The POC was developed by panels of practicing ophthalmologists in each of the ten practice emphasis areas (i.e., subspecialties). The panels reflect a diversity of background, training, practice type and geographic distribution, with 50% of the panel members being time-limited certificate holders.

The panels ranked clinical topics (diseases and procedures) in terms of clinical relevance to the subspecialist or comprehensive ophthalmologist. The panelists created content outlines for the topics deemed Most Relevant, based on what an ophthalmologist in a specific practice emphasis area needs to know to provide competent, quality eye care (i.e., directly related to patient care). These content outlines were reviewed by subspecialty societies, the Academy’s Self-Assessment Committee and Practicing Ophthalmology Advisory Committee for Education, and the American Board of Ophthalmology.

Richard L. Abbott, MD, American Academy of Ophthalmology Secretary for Quality of Care and Knowledge Base Development, serves as the overall leader of the POC project.

The content of the POC was used as the basis for the MOC Exam Study Guide and MOC Exam Self-Assessment products developed by the Academy. Click to see a complete list of POC contributors and product content authors.

Revision Process
The POC is intended to be revised every two years. The POC panels will consider new evidence in the peer-reviewed literature, as well as input from the subspecialty societies, the American Board of Ophthalmology and the Academy’s Self-Assessment Committee, in revising and updating the POC. This updated version will go through a similar review process as the original version.

This first version, Version 1.0 of the POC, is valid for the DOCK exams for September 2006 and 2007. Version 1.0 can be changed only under the following circumstances:

A Level I (highest level of scientific evidence) randomized controlled trial indicates a major new therapeutic strategy
The FDA issues a drug/device warning
Industry issues a warning

In case of changes to Version 1.0, purchasers of the MOC Exam Study Guide™ will be notified, and the online content will be updated. Purchasers of Version 1.0 will have access to the updated online content for the duration of their one-year access period.