Evaluation of the quality of ophthalmology residency training of Khatamolanbya hospital in Mashhad

Background and As the leaders of educational organizations, universities use various models and approaches in evaluating their activities. However, excellence model for evaluation of educational services can demonstrate the distinction of this evaluation procedure. The aim of this study is to investigate the status of training quality of ophthalmologic residents in Khatam-Ol-Anbia Hospital in Mashhad based on the standards of organizational excellence model EFQM in the educational year of 2012-2013.
This descriptive cross-sectional study has been conducted in the second half of 2013 in the educational, research, and therapeutic hospital of Khatam-Ol-Anbia, among the hospitals affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All students in the stage of residency in Ophthalmology entered this study. In this research, 18 men and 6 women participated. Moreover, in the statistical population of this research, 14 of the residents were non-native and 10 were native. Using standardized questionnaire of organizational excellence model in higher education sector and the degree of achievement of the educational services outcomes presented to learners was investigated. This questionnaire was first adapted from the main booklet published by Sheffield University, England. Following the extraction of the preliminary questionnaire, normalization of the instrument for validity was done by expert judgment, to examine the internal consistency of the various sections of the instrument and the reliability, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.96 was obtained. The questionnaire consists of 4 main sections, each of which questions contain certain indices of educational services. Using SPSS 16 and congruent with the background and research questions, the results were obtained.
The mean value of general status of the training quality of Ophthalmology residents has been obtained as 6.66 (of a max of 10). The mean value for the indices of general perception; educational, research, and pedagogy; support and guidance; and for loyalty, honesty, and values; were obtained as 6.19, 6.39, 6.61, and 7.44, respectively. The total score was obtained to be 129.32 (out of the standard 200 according to the criterion of customer results in EFQM model). Moreover, the status of training quality of learners in Ophthalmology residency in terms of gender and academic years did not show a significant difference. However, the mean value of indices in native residents showed a higher number in comparison with the students who declared themselves as non-native, indicating a significant difference (P=0.01).
In this research, the general status of training quality of Ophthalmology residents, based on the required mean value and extraction of the total score obtained, reveals a higher than average level. These results, together with the difference in the mean value of indices in the native and non-native residents can act as a guide for decision-making and managerial policymaking in this subspecialty therapeutic, educational, and research hospital.