Student Perceptions of a Novel No-Cost Mobile Application for Ophthalmic History and Physical Examination

Background: Mobile applications have shown promise in enhancing medical trainee performance. In ophthalmology, a comprehensive mobile app can streamline the trainee education process by providing guidance for patient intake. Language barriers pose additional challenges impacting the quality of care for Spanish-speaking patients; literature has documented the adverse impacts of inadequate translation on quality of medical care for both trainees and patients. We aim to develop a free mobile application to guide medical trainees through the ophthalmic patient intake process and assist with Spanish-language translation. Methods: We developed EyeCheck as a free mobile application for ophthalmology trainee education with Spanish language support for iPhone and Android. We also designed a survey for student evaluation of EyeCheck’s effectiveness and usability as an educational and clinical tool. Results: Nineteen medical students used EyeCheck and found it beneficial for obtaining an ophthalmic history (Likert score: 4.3, SD = 0.65) and performing each component of the eye exam (mean score: 4.1, SD = 0.77). EyeCheck also aided understanding of ophthalmological pharmacology (mean = 4.1, SD = 0.85). Students rated EyeCheck as user-friendly (mean = 4.5, SD = 0.51) and expressed moderate interest in continued use (mean = 3.7, SD = 1.00) and recommendation to others (mean = 4.4, SD = 0.77). Conclusion: EyeCheck can be downloaded and integrated into the patient intake process, reducing the need for disaggregated educational materials and streamlining the learning process for trainees. Insights from the survey can enhance EyeCheck's content and user experience. EyeCheck can improve the training process for ophthalmological patient intake.