[The situation of residents in ophthalmology in Germany: Results of an online survey].

purposeThe main purpose of the present survey was to describe the situation of residents in ophthalmology in Germany, including professional aims and plans for the future. By evaluating the current conditions, potential deficits should be identified which could lead to demand-oriented approaches for improvement.

methodsThe online questionnaire was sent out per e-mail to 1100 German residents. The rate of received answers was 30.1 % (334 completed questionnaires).

resultsOf the participants 68 % were female,32 % were male (mean age 31.8 years), one third of the participants had children, 44.6 % worked at university institutions, 54.4 % at non-university institutions and 45.5 % considered themselves as well-trained. Deficits during residency training were seen in the field of neuro-ophthalmology and ophthalmic surgery. The evaluation of the residency in total revealed an overall average grade of 2.9 ("satisfactory"). Of the physicians 35.5 % reported to be actively involved in research projects and 21.9 % reported pursuing an academic career. Almost 50 % of the participant residents aimed to work in a private practice after residency and 15 % aimed to work at an university hospital.

conclusionThe present survey revealed representative data because of the acceptable return rate and participating residents from all different educational levels (1st to 5th year). The survey can therefore help to characterize the current situation of residents in ophthalmology in Germany and to develop demand-oriented possibilities for improvement.