Document Type : Original Article
Authors
Medical Education Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
Abstract
CONTEXT: Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PMR) is a specialized clinical field of musculoskeletal
diseases and physical impairment that is unknown for most of the medical students.
AIMS: This study aimed to assess medical students’ attitude and knowledge toward PMR and its
role in the diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal diseases.
SETTING AND DESIGN: This cross‑sectional study was done on 175 medical students of Isfahan
University of Medical Sciences from 2015 to 2016. Sample population was selected by random
sampling among 350 students.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were evaluated by a research‑made questionnaire
with confirmed validity and reliability. This questionnaire included 36 questions divided in four parts
including demographic data, knowledge, attitude, and performance ranking.
STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Statistical test for quantitative
and qualitative variables was carried out by mean ± standard deviation and percentage or number,
respectively. For analyzing variables, Student’s t‑test and Chi‑square test were used.
RESULTS: In this study, 150 medical students with a mean age of 24.48 ± 1.48 years participated
of which 40% of them were male. The mean score of Student’s knowledge about PMR and its role
in diagnosis and treatment of disorders was 5.16 ± 1.90, and 91.3% had low level of knowledge.
The mean score of student’s attitude toward PMR and its role in the diagnosis and treatment of
musculoskeletal problems was 3.33 ± 0.46, and 69.3% had attitude level above the average.
Evaluation of student’s performance showed that when they manage patients with musculoskeletal
problems as general physician, they refer the patients to physiatrists at the first step if it is necessary.
CONCLUSION: Understanding the factors influencing the attitudes and knowledge of medical students
is prime to help establishing the roles, providing proper facilities, carrying out successful planning to
train expert physicians and create a motivated environment in medical schools.
Keywords
index scores in the US adult population. Curr Med Res Opin
2006;22:2065‑71.
2. Raissi GR, Mansoori K, Madani P, Rayegani SM. Survey of
general practitioners’ attitudes toward physical medicine and
rehabilitation. Int J Rehabil Res 2006;29:167‑70.
3. Ko Y, Coons SJ. An examination of self‑reported chronic
conditions and health status in the 2001 Medicare health outcomes
survey. Curr Med Res Opin 2005;21:1801‑8.
4. Yorke AM, Ruediger T, Voltenburg N. Doctor of physical therapy
students’ attitudes towards people with disabilities: A descriptive
study. Disabil Rehabil 2017;39:91‑7.
5. Faulk CE, Mali J, Mendoza PM, Musick D, Sembrano R.
Impact of a required fourth‑year medical student rotation in
physical medicine and rehabilitation. Am J Phys Med Rehabil
2012;91:442‑8.
6. RaeissadatSA, SamadiB, RayeganiSM, BahramiMH, MahmoudiH.
Survey of medical residents’ attitude toward physical medicine
and rehabilitation. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2014;93:540‑7.
7. Zaini R, Almoallim H, Hafiz W, Boyaan M, Samannodi M,
Al‑Rehali A, et al. Musculoskeletal teaching and training in Saudi
internal medicine residency programmes. Creat Educ 2016;7:824.
8. Craton N, Matheson GO. Training and clinical competency in
musculoskeletal medicine. Identifying the problem. Sports Med
1993;15:328‑37.
9. DiCaprio MR, Covey A, Bernstein J. Curricular requirements for
musculoskeletal medicine in American medical schools. J Bone
Joint Surg Am 2003;85‑A: 565‑7.
10. Haig AJ, Linton P, McIntosh M, Moneta L, Mead PB. Aggressive
early medical management by a specialist in physical medicine
and rehabilitation: Effect on lost time due to injuries in hospital
employees. J Occup Med 1990;32:241‑4.
11. Heijnen L, Dirat G, Chen L, Tulaar AB, Moysisyan L, Nassar NM,
et al. The role of the physiatrist in the haemophilia comprehensive
care team in different parts of the world. Haemophilia
2008;14 Suppl 3:153‑61.
12. Marin R. Physical medicine and rehabilitation in the military:
Operation Iraqi freedom. Mil Med 2006;171:185‑8.
13. Marin R. Physical medicine and rehabilitation in the military: The
Bosnian mass casualty experience. Mil Med 2001;166:335‑7.
14. TongHC, HaigAJ, TheisenME, SmithC, MillerQ. Multidisciplinary
team evaluation of upper extremity injuries in a single visit: The
UPPER program. Occup Med (Lond) 2001;51:278‑86.
15. Hudgins TH, Brander VA, Chang RW. Rehabilitation advances
in the treatment of arthritis and musculoskeletal disease. Curr
Opin Rheumatol 1997;9:112‑7.
16. Tavakol M, Dennick R. Making sense of Cronbach’s alpha. Int J
Med Educ 2011;2:53‑5.
17. Altschuler EL, Cruz E, Salim SZ, Jani JB, Stitik TP, Foye PM,
et al. Efficacy of a checklist as part of a physical medicine and
rehabilitation clerkship to teach medical students musculoskeletal
physical examination skills: A prospective study. Am J Phys Med
Rehabil 2014;93:82‑9.
18. Jahromi M, Salimzadeh A, Shahi H. Shariati and Sina Hospital
nurses’ knowledge about osteoporosis. J Med Counc Islam Repub
Iran 2010;28:257‑61.
19. Zhang RF, Chandran M. Knowledge of osteoporosis and its
related risk factors among nursing professionals. Singapore Med
J 2011;52:158‑62.
20. Yaĝmur Y. The knowledge of primary health care providers about
osteoporosis and changeable osteoporosis risk factors. Maltepe
Univ Nurs Sci Art J 2009;2:41‑50.
21. Pérez‑Edo L, Ciria Recasens M, Castelo‑Branco C, Orozco López P,
Gimeno Marqués A, Pérez C, et al. Management of osteoporosis
in general practice: A cross‑sectional survey of primary care
practitioners in Spain. Osteoporos Int 2004;15:252‑7.
22. Day CS, Yeh AC, Franko O, Ramirez M, Krupat E. Musculoskeletal
medicine: An assessment of the attitudes and knowledge
of medical students at Harvard medical school. Acad Med
2007;82:452‑7.
)