Innovative Programme Format Enhances LBI Learning Experience

The field of cataract and refractive surgery has seen its share of innovations in recent years, including perioperative imaging, gene therapy, and intraocular lenses. In light of these advances, attendees at the 2023 ESCRS Leadership & Business Innovation Weekend in Frankfurt, Germany, could be forgiven for expecting they would learn about new technologies or surgical procedures being developed.

What they learned instead is innovation can be as simple as a new process to save time or a new approach to save money. It can even be as fundamental as a change in the way something is taught—which is exactly what happened this year in Frankfurt.

“At past LBI programmes, we stuck with the tried-and-true format of a lecture followed by audience questions,” says Colin Kerr, who worked with the ESCRS Leadership & Business Innovation Committee to design the programme schedule. “This was the first meeting where we tried to encourage the delegates to be active participants.

We also put a lot of emphasis on small groups—we told them, ‘Based on what you heard in the last presentation, we want to give you an exercise.’ It was all very interactive.”
The format proved popular with the 20-plus trainees and ophthalmologists in public and private practice who attended the two-day event.

“I found it very interesting when we were split into small groups,” says Anna Slavík-Lenčová, consultant ophthalmic surgeon in Frankfurt. “It was a great opportunity to actively participate in different scenarios. And there were also excellent opportunities to get to know some colleagues from different countries.”

Also popular was the use of two moderators to keep the programme moving forward and on schedule.

“It was very well organised, especially the idea to invite moderators to keep the programme moving and make sure it was not boring,” Slavík-Lenčová says. “And it was small, with not so many participants, so we had the opportunity to go more deeply into different topics and get to know the other participants.”

“There was a feeling that we are in this together,” says Ahmed Nahrawy, a consultant eye surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital in the United Kingdom.

“Every struggle I’m facing now, someone has faced before, and I get to learn from their experience. So either I’m going to do it by myself—which means I’m going to make the same mistakes—or I’ll need to learn a smarter way of dealing with things. That’s why I went, to learn from others who have been there.”

A different view of innovation

Many attendees noted the emphasis on rethinking the concept of innovation helped them see their roles differently.

“The innovation part I found very interesting, because innovation was brought up in the context of process improvements in the patient journey or efficiency,” says Ruth Lapid-Gortzak, an ophthalmologist in academic and private practice in the Netherlands. “In my mind, innovation is a technological event, something we invent and develop and commercialise and bring to the market.” 

Presenting innovation in a different light was one of the factors driving the selection of topics and speakers, according to Paul Rosen, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon in the United Kingdom and chair of the Leadership & Business Innovation Committee.

“Innovation can be a new tech idea, it can be a new procedure, it can be a new way of delivering patient care that is cheaper or better but costs the same,” he says. “No matter what, it’s all about creating and developing value, whether you’re setting up a start-up or starting a practice. How did you go about it? What do you do? How do you get the funding?”

On hand to address those questions were a mix of physicians, healthcare administrators, and investors, including the following:

• David Lockington, a consultant ophthalmologist in the United Kingdom, discussed avoiding physician burnout.
• John Marshall, a pioneer in laser eye surgery and entrepreneurship in ophthalmology, presented on taking an innovation from conception to implementation.
• Arthur Cummings, an ophthalmic surgeon and recognised expert on laser eye surgery, and Daniel Kook, who runs a private ophthalmology practice in Germany, spoke about leading a team in a private ophthalmological practice.
• Celine Reibel, an ophthalmic administrator in France, presented on managing patient flow.
• Artemis Matsou, an ophthalmologist in the United Kingdom, discussed innovating to reduce costs in a public healthcare system.

Helping facilitate the transitions between speakers and keep the programme moving were Matt Jensen, an investor in the United States, and Karl Thomas, a specialist in creativity and innovation in Ireland. In addition to serving as moderators, the two helped present some sessions and led a group project about creating a five-point plan for setting up a new private practice.

Complementing the weekend programme was a group dinner that allowed the attendees to interact with the presenters in a casual setting. The dinner was part networking event and part educational forum and provided an opportunity to share personal challenges and successes.

A follow-up survey of attendees revealed high ratings for both the programme content and format. Most attendees also indicated they would be interested in registering for future LBI weekends with new topics.

“I keep thinking—if I didn’t go, I would have no new insights,” says Nahrawy. “I would have had a great loss just by not attending.”

“As far as I’m concerned, it was very much a watershed,” says Kerr. “I think it should be the model for this programme going forward.”