Website Transparency of Ophthalmology Residency Programs: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: There is an increasing call for transparency in the ophthalmology residency application process. With programs shifting to virtual interviews, the availability of information regarding each program is limited to website searches, which as is, are not reflective of the programs and what they offer to potential residents. Purpose: To assess the transparency of the residency application process through assessment of program for the period 1 November 2022 to 31 December 2022. Methods: Four main categories of variables were studied: selection criteria, interview process, program priorities, and program requirements. Every program’s website was reviewed and the four categories were noted as a binary “Yes” or “no” as in, are these factors present on the website or not. Results: The program requirements section was generally the most well reported, with adequate information provided in more than 90% of websites. The selection criteria section was the least well reported, with letters of recommendation, research, and step score cut-offs listed on less than 10% of program websites. Conclusion: We identified gaps in transparency on residency websites across four categories. Identifying these gaps can guide improvement efforts for residency websites that will allow for more uniform access to important information regarding programs, which can support the continuation of a virtual application process.