Session Information
Date: Thursday, November 14, 2019
Session Title: Research Spotlight: Practice Management and Leadership
Session Time: 12:30pm-1:15pm
Location: Research Hub - Live Theater
Disclosures: Stephanie Tow, MD: Nothing to disclose
Objective: To evaluate medical school preparation for understanding of 1) disability-related diagnosis and management, 2) the PM&R specialty and physiatric practice, and 3) post-acute care (PAC).
Design: A 3-month web-based survey.
Setting: Online survey at 6 US allopathic medical schools: 2 with mandatory PM&R rotation, 2 with existing PM&R department without mandatory rotation, and 2 with no PM&R department.
Participants: Students in final year of medical school.
Interventions: N/A.
Main Outcome Measures: Rotation time in PM&R, number of questions correct in PM&R/disability/PAC-related topics compared to control (standard medical) topics, Likert scale ratings on exposure to and comfort in managing PM&R/disability-related diagnoses vs control (standard medical) diagnoses.
Results: 299 total completed survey responses were included and analyzed. Medical students with mandatory PM&R rotations scored higher on questions testing disability-related medical diagnosis/management knowledge and when to involve PM&R in patient care, compared to other two school types’ students. Students exposed to a PM&R rotation scored higher on these questions than those who did not rotate with PM&R, with time spent on PM&R rotations correlating with these scores. Likert scale ratings for comfort in prescribing disability-related treatments were higher for those completing PM&R rotations; scores increased with increased PM&R exposure. Likert scale ratings in comfort of taking care of patients with disabilities increased with increased PM&R exposure. Overall, all students, regardless of PM&R exposure, scored higher on general medical management questions over PM&R/disability-related management questions. No differences were seen between groups on responses regarding PAC.
Conclusions: Medical students with more exposure to PM&R during training have better knowledge of disability-related medical diagnoses and management. With more exposure to the PM&R specialty, students better understand appropriate scenarios for PM&R consultation. All had equally limited knowledge of PAC settings, demonstrating a need for better instruction regarding patient care choices in PAC.
Level of Evidence: Level I
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Tow S, Yuan C, Lysikowski J, Barker K, Reed G, Ashraf H, Kirshblum S, Bell KR. Medical Student Understanding of the PM&R Specialty, Disability, and Post-acute Care [abstract]. PM R. 2019; 11(S2)(suppl 2). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/medical-student-understanding-of-the-pmr-specialty-disability-and-post-acute-care/. Accessed December 11, 2024.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2019
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/medical-student-understanding-of-the-pmr-specialty-disability-and-post-acute-care/