Author’s Disclosure Block: Derek Waldner, none; Emi Sanders, none; Chris Rudnisky, none; Stephanie Dotchin, none

Abstract Body
Purpose: Informed consent is crucial to shared decision-making in healthcare. While resident participation in ophthalmic surgery is common, its disclosure remains a contentious issue. This study evaluates the proportion of parents willing to consent to resident participation in their child’s strabismus surgery when full details of the involvement are disclosed. Study Design: Prospective observational case series Methods: Participants included parents of children under 18 years old undergoing their first strabismus surgery. Parents were presented with the following specifically worded discussion of resident participation during the standard surgical consent process: “I have residents that work with me in the operating room. A resident is a medical doctor training to be an ophthalmologist. Some may do very little, like just watch; others might do a lot, like maybe the whole thing. I’m always there supervising and guiding them, and I don’t let anyone do surgery that they can’t actually do. I never leave them alone in the operating room, and am there to guide and assist them so that we function like a team.”At the first post-operative visit, an explanation of the study and consent for data use was obtained. Parents were asked to provide reasons why they chose to consent or decline resident participation. The primary outcome was the percentage of parents consenting to resident involvement. Secondary outcomes included a thematic analysis of reasons for or against resident participation. Results: Eighty-five consecutive patients have been enrolled to date. Preliminary data from the first sixty-five parents revealed that 87.7% (57/65) consented to resident participation in their child’s strabismus surgery. Themes associated with consenting included trust in the primary surgeon, support for education and training, and personal experience/perspective with hands-on learning. Themes associated with declining included preference for the known experienced surgeon and concerns regarding the intricacy of ocular surgery. Conclusions: This is the first study to prospectively evaluate parental consent to resident participation in pediatric ophthalmic surgery. Full disclosure of resident participation in pediatric strabismus surgery does not appear to significantly diminish parental consent rates. These findings suggest that transparent communication may foster trust between healthcare providers and families while maintaining essential training opportunities for residents. Further research will help optimize the consent process and enhance informed decision-making.