Characterizing the Accessibility and Content of Surgical and Medical Retina Fellowship Program Websites

Abstract

Purpose: To assess the accessibility and content of surgical and medical retina fellowship websites. Methods: The websites of all surgical and medical retina fellowship programs were examined. Each program’s website was evaluated based on information available on 10 recruitment and 10 training criteria. The presence of the criteria was summed to calculate a total content score (range, 0-20). Also examined were the differences in website content score by number of fellows, geographic location, and Association of University Professors of Ophthalmology (AUPO) compliance. Results: This study identified 102 surgical and 25 medical retina programs. Overall, 91.2% of surgical and 88.0% of medical retina programs had an accessible website. The surgical retina program website contained a mean of 9.8 of the total criteria, including 4.9 recruitment criteria and 5.2 training criteria, with no significant differences by number of fellows, geography, or AUPO status. Medical retina websites contained a mean of 9.3 total criteria, including 4.5 recruitment criteria and 4.9 training criteria. Website content scores for medical retina programs were associated with geography and AUPO status, which was consistent when stratifyed by recruitment and training criteria. Conclusions: Most surgical and medical retina fellowships have an accessible program website. However, there are opportunities to improve the completeness and consistency of information on these websites. Improved websites can help programs attract well-suited candidates and might address multiple inefficiencies in the application process.