** Student Scholarship Winner

 

Method for Analysis of Musculoskeletal Educational Needs During Clinical Years Followed by Workshops in Medical Curriculum

 

Veronique Godbout1*, Serge Dube 1, Michel Malo 1, Sylvain Gagnon 1, Julio Fernandes 1, Constantin Stanciu 1,  1University of Montreal, Montreal QC,  H3T 1J3, CANADA

 

Purpose

Thirty percent of family medicine consultations are musculoskeletal (MSK) complaints and MSK represents less than 5 % of medical curriculum.  This study determines the MSK educational needs of clerkship students with a method using perceived, demonstrated and normative needs and measure effect of MSK workshops.

 

Methods

Determination of perceived 1, demonstrated 2 and normative 3 educational needs by:  1survey, 2pre-test + pre-clinical exam results 3research of mandatory MSK objectives in curriculum. Development of 3 half day MSK workshop based on educational needs with 2 experimental and one control groups.  General MSK knowledge workshop in first ½-day (groups A, B) followed by second ½-day workshops: group A shoulder, group B knee.  Pre/post-test including general, shoulder and knee sections made. Control group (C) wrote same pre-post test without workshops.

 

Results

Graduating medical students, orthopaedic residents and attendants voluntarily participated (N = 105). Perceived needs: 83 % of students evaluate their competency weak to inadequate, 56 % of attendants judge them this way.  Anatomy, physical exam, imaging and common problems are given priority.  Demonstrated needs: students perform lower in pre-test, especially in clinical reasoning and radiographic description, versus anatomy. Normative needs: One MSK mandatory objective in clinical years: low back pain (family medicine rotation). Groups A, B significantly improved in general knowledge and respective section of post-test (student paired t-test  p < 0,05). 

 

Conclusion

Lack of MSK training demonstrated. Pre-test construct validity confirmed. Method analysing 3 types of needs with multiple groups is effective. Introduction of MSK workshops significantly improve student knowledge.