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ASCRS DIGITAL CLINICAL COMMITTEE PRESENTS TWO SYMPOSIA AT THE 2024 ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING Grayson W. Armstrong, MD, MPH Director of Ophthalmology Emergency Services Mass Eye and Ear Boston, Massachusetts Trey Bishop, MD Bishop Eye Center Hilton Head Island, South Carolina Nicole Fram, MD Advanced Vision Care Los Angeles, California John Hovanesian, MD Harvard Eye Associates Laguna Hills, California Tommy Korn, MD Sharp HealthCare San Diego, California Mark Lobanoff, MD OVO LASIK + Lens Minneapolis, Minnesota Robert F. Melendez, MD, MBA Juliette Eye Institute Albuquerque, New Mexico Eric Rosenberg, DO SightMD New York West Babylon, New York Mitchell Shultz, MD Shultz Chang Vision Northridge, California About the speakers Wes Strickling, BA CEO codexIT Columbus, Ohio Sydney Tyson, MD, MPH Eye Associates & SurgiCenter of Vineland Vineland, New Jersey The digital landscape is changing rapidly in our field, he said; refractions can be done online, and new technologies and tools are being developed for imaging. With that comes AI that can diagnose diseases without an ophthalmologist present. Physicians can use those tools to communicate with patients or with other providers to share skills. "With things like AI being developed, we understand we've come a long way," Dr. Armstrong said, adding that there is amazing sen- sitivity and specificity for disease diagnosis. When implementing these new tools, the technology isn't the problem—people are the problem, Dr. Armstrong said. You can't just drop a new tool in the OR or clinic and expect it to automatically work seamlessly; you have to train doctors, nurses, and technicians and get IT and administra- tors, as well as patients, on board. Why is it so challenging? Humans have a resistance to change, he said. Physicians are seeing a lot of patients; they're stressed and don't have bandwidth for the uptake of new technology. There are massive skill gaps and training needs among physicians. There are also staff burnout risks, and if you imple- ment too much too quickly, people won't be able to keep up. There may also be breakdowns in communication and disruption to existing clinical workflows. Dr. Armstrong offered several strategies to manage peo- ple during these changes. Clear communication is key, and tip sheets, training, and education are critical. You need to know what users understand about the technology and meet them where they are, he said. Make the solution "their" solution by solving "their" problems. Frequent reminders and retrainings are also important. Tracking and sharing outcomes will help people understand the "how" and the "why." Engage staff in the process of change, get input along the way, and be ready for unintended consequences, Dr. Armstrong said. During his presentation, Mitchell Shultz, MD, discussed the principles of training people and leveraging technology. We've reached a point now where we have a problem with our workforce, he said. Currently, there is about a 12% He went on to discuss different Apple products that he uses. He first mentioned the iPhone, which he said was essential for communicating with patients during the pan- demic and for taking photos of the eye. The iPad helps him prepare information before going into a patient room and to perform surgery safety timeouts. He added that patient satisfaction scores drop if you're staring at the computer and not the patient, which is why he uses the iPad. Dr. Korn discussed the Apple Vision Pro, a new way to interact with computers, where he can have "a 3D work environment in spatial computing to analyze unlimited oph- thalmic data." The Zeiss Surgery Optimizer, the first oph- thalmology spatial computing app for Apple Vision Pro, will allow surgeons to watch videos recorded from surgery. Navigating Real-World Obstacles to Digital Transformation in Your Practice Dr. Hovanesian moderated a second symposium sponsored by the ASCRS Digital Clinical Committee, noting that infor- mation from presentations would "help practices navigate these obstacles to new technology implementation." Grayson W. Armstrong, MD, MPH, presented "Managing People and Change While Implementing New Digital Tools." continued from previous page "It turns out, so many innovations are happening in digital across healthcare and specifically in ophthalmology that this is an area of great opportunity for us." —John Hovanesian, MD

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