OPN261 Therapeutic Management of Eye Disease

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

Optometric practice allows appropriately trained optometrists to provide therapeutic pharmacological and non pharmacological management of a range of eye diseases. It is important for optometrists to have a comprehensive knowledge of prescription drugs used in the management of eye disease, be able to develop evidence-based treatment plans, and assess the outcomes of treatment. Also optometrists should understand the framework of of legal and social and ethical governance within which therapeutic practice operates. This unit aims to integrate your knowledge of eye disease and ocular pharmaceutical agents to allow you to legally, safely and effectively develop treatment plans for your patients in optometric practice. The unit emphasises an evidence-based and practical approach to therapeutic management of eye disease.

This is a designated unit which is essential to your course progression. Designated units include professional experience units, units requiring the development of particular skills, and units requiring demonstration of certain personal qualities. If you fail to achieve a satisfactory level of performance in a designated unit, you may be excluded from enrolment or will be put on academic probation. If you fail a designated unit twice within your course, you may be excluded. Supplementary assessment is not available on designated units.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate sound theoretical knowledge of the range and application of specific groups of therapeutic drugs;
2. Formulate, evaluate and revise therapeutic treatment plans for the management of eye disease in accordance with the best evidence base;
3. Understand the legal social and financial framework for the management of therapeutic disease by Optometrists, including the prescription of medicines.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit will be taught through 2 hours of lectures per week focusing on the principles and practice of ocular therapeutics. Tutorials for 2 hours per week, will use a small group approach to the analysis of clinical cases and the development of treatment plans in case-based problem solving approach. Student have a research project in their own time on governace issues for therapeutic practice.

Learning in this unit supports further clinical practice of optometry and the therapeutic management of eye disease, and contributes to the entry-level competencies within the competency units 3: Patient examination, 4: Diagnosis and management and 5: Health information management, and the competency standard performance criteria that sit within these competency units (Kiely and Slater 2015).

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Your progress in developing appropriate knowledge and skills in the therapeutic management of eye disease will be informed through participation in class discussion and debate as feedback on your and other students' case management proposals, and by review activities within lectures and tutorials.
In addition, a practice examination will be held in the second half of semester and the answers discussed with students. Written and criteria based feedback will be given on the research assignment

Assessment

Overview

Three items of assessment are included.
1. Research Assignment on the legal governance of optometric therapeutic practice. This will will assess abilty to find and summarize information on therapeutic governance. 20%
2. Case assesment skills assessment. 30%
3. End of Semester multiple choice examination. 50%
A formative multiple choice exam will be given in the second half of semester.
Satisfactory performance in each of the assessment items is a condition for passing this unit. The Faculty of Health Threshold Assessment Policy will apply where student performance in an assessment item is unsatisfactory.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Governance Assignment

You will be given a real world scenario and be required to analyse it in terms of the governance of therapeutics and come to practical conclusions.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Case Studies Assessment

You will be required to develop case management plans for a series of cases, presented as PowerPoint slides. It will be timed and under real-world time pressures.

Assessment: End of semester Examination

2 hour multiple choice exam on lecture knowledge and case management.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Wills Eye Manual 7th Ed. Bagheri N et al, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Reference book(s)

Bruce, A. Loughnan, M.(2012) Anterior Eye Disease and Therapeutics (2nd. Ed.) London: Elsevier.

Print and electronic copies of optometry, ophthalmology and medical periodicals.

Roy, F.H., Fraunfelder, F.W. and Fraunfelder, F.T. (2008) Current Ocular Therapy (6th Ed) N.Y.: Saunders/ Elsevier.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

Entry-Level Competency Standards for Optometry 2014

1: Professional Responsibilities

1. 
   Relates to: Governance Assignment, Case Studies Assessment, End of semester Examination
2. 
   Relates to: Governance Assignment, Case Studies Assessment, End of semester Examination
3. 
   Relates to: Governance Assignment, Case Studies Assessment
4. 
   Relates to: Governance Assignment, Case Studies Assessment, End of semester Examination
5. 
   Relates to: Governance Assignment, Case Studies Assessment, End of semester Examination
6. 
   Relates to: End of semester Examination

Course Learning Outcomes

OP85 Master of Optometry

1. Theoretical optometric knowledge, cognitive, clinical and technical skills and research methodology in vision science
   Relates to: Governance Assignment, Case Studies Assessment, End of semester Examination
2. Apply critical thinking and researchable questions to generate solutions to complex conditions in clinical and research settings
   Relates to: Case Studies Assessment, End of semester Examination
3. Practise independently and collaboratively as an ethical, socially responsible health care professional within legal and professional frameworks
   Relates to: Governance Assignment