Literature consulted by Spanish-speaking candidates who passed the International Council of Ophtalmology examinations

Abstract

Context: Most ophthalmologic literature is written in English. There is a wide range of books available for the preparation of the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICO) examinations. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the assessment of the literature consulted by Spanish-speaking candidates who sat for the ICO examinations. Settings and Design: Observational study based on a survey to candidates in Spanish-speaking countries. Methods: Online surveys were sent to candidates residing in Latin America and Spain who passed the ICO examinations in the past 5 years. The survey asked about fluency in English, language in which the examination was studied, literature consulted in English and Spanish. Literature was classified by the language. Statistical Analysis Used: Qualitative analysis and description of the answers. Results: One hundred and thirty-three responses were obtained from the candidates from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, who had passed at least one ICO examination. Seventy-eight resources were identified (14 in Spanish and 64 in English). The most widely used resource was the Basic and Clinical Science Course collection of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, English version. Conclusions: The prevalence of English bibliography can be a challenge for Spanish-speaking candidates when taking international examinations. It would be useful to increase the number of publications and more updated literature in Spanish to encourage Hispanic candidates.

Keywords

• bibliography
• international council of ophthalmology
• knowledge examinations
• spanish-speaking candidates