1007. Athlete Care and Clinical Medicine - other Sports Med Fellow Research Scientific Abstract

2383 - Assessing Knowledge And Confidence In Musculoskeletal Medicine Among Primary Care Specialties

Abstract

Prior studies suggest primary care clinicians lack knowledge and confidence in how to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders. One showed 64% of academic primary care attendings scored <70% on an MSK knowledge exam, while another noted that primary care residents scored an average of 56% on an MSK competency exam. Few studies examine differences among Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, and Pediatrics in knowledge and confidence in diagnosing and treating MSK conditions. Purpose: To determine if a significant difference exists between primary care specialties for both residents and non-fellowship trained attendings in knowledge and confidence in diagnosing MSK conditions. To assess whether a focused lecture series can increase resident knowledge and confidence in diagnosing MSK disorders. Methods: An anonymous shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle survey was emailed to Pediatric, Internal Medicine, and Family Medicine residents and attendings at a local teaching hospital. Sports Medicine Fellows lectured Internal Medicine and Pediatrics residents, focusing on exam and common conditions for each joint. Family Medicine was excluded from the lectures, as MSK education is a part of their ACGME requirement. Pre and post lecture surveys with 5 knowledge questions and two 5-point Likert scale confidence measures were administered to Pediatric and Internal Medicine residents. Two-tailed t-tests were used with a p value set at <0.05. Results: Pediatric residents showed a significant increase in shoulder knowledge scores (60% vs 72.8%, p=0.04), shoulder confidence scores (2.2 vs. 3.11; 2.13 vs. 2.94; p<0.001), and confidence in doing an appropriate knee exam post lecture (2.6 vs. 3.4, p=0.03). There was no significant difference between Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, or Pediatrics regarding general MSK knowledge and confidence. There was no significant difference for Internal Medicine between pre and post lecture scores for all joints. There was no significant difference for pre and post lecture scores on the hip and ankle for Pediatrics. Conclusion: Dedicated lectures related to the MSK exam and common MSK conditions can increase the knowledge and confidence among primary care residents, but further studies with a greater number of subjects are needed.
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