Survey of general practitioners' attitudes toward physical medicine and rehabilitation

Abstract

This study reports the attitudes of general practitioners towards physical medicine and rehabilitation after participating in a continued medical education course in this field. Given the high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders and number of disabled persons in the country, along with the role of general practitioners in the primary and long-term management of such patients, basic competency in rehabilitation medicine must be considered in the educational curriculum of medical students. Nevertheless, rehabilitation medicine is not taught in most universities. This study was performed to evaluate the attitude of general practitioners towards physical medicine and rehabilitation as a baseline for developing educational programs in this field. In a simple descriptive study, at the end of a continued medical education program in low back pain management, 217 questionnaires, focusing on the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation, were distributed between participants. One-hundred-and-forty-three questionnaires were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed with descriptive and Student's t-test. The results showed that of the participants, 69 (48.3%) were female and that they graduated from 24 medical schools. Most respondents (92.2%) believed that musculoskeletal education had not been sufficient in general practitioner training courses. Of the respondents, 56.8% had visited at least one disabled patient during the previous month, while 11% had visited more than 10 in the same period, but 84.3% had not studied disabilities. Musculoskeletal physical examination was the most needed educational field cited by general practitioners. In conclusion, this study clearly documents the inadequacy of basic rehabilitation training in medical schools. The findings reveal the most needed and preferred rehabilitation areas for general practitioners, and these should be considered in the establishment of rehabilitation training programs for Iranian medical students.

Survey of medical students' attitude and knowledge toward physical medicine and rehabilitation in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences

“…PMR is a medical expertise with the combination of physical medicine and rehabilitation. [ 2 ] A physiatrist can diagnose, treat, and provide rehabilitation methods for neurological, musculoskeletal, and also the other systemic diseases and disabilities (including sports and occupational cases) and long-term management of disabled patients. He/she can lead multidisciplinary rehabilitation teams to create maximum improvement in physical, psychological, social, and occupational functions in patients with restricted abilities due to disease, trauma, birth defects, or pain.…”

“…Arthritis and other physical impairments are the second common medical condition after hypertension, which need medical treatment. [ 1 2 3 ] Although general practitioners are the main group who evaluate and treat patients suffering from musculoskeletal disorders, PMR training and knowledge about this field are limited in Iran country. [ 3 ] There are limited educational plans in most of the universities for PMR learning and in most health-care centers, patients’ disabilities were denied.…”

“…[ 3 ] There are limited educational plans in most of the universities for PMR learning and in most health-care centers, patients’ disabilities were denied. [ 2 ]…”

“…After that, these participants were evaluated by a questionnaire, of which 92% of them believed that their musculoskeletal education is insufficient, especially in physical examination field, and 56.8% of them reported that they had visited at least one patient with these problems during last month. [ 2 ] Also, a 2-year study was conducted on 138 medical students. They followed a 2-week curriculum and did pre- and posttest about the attitudes and knowledge of students toward PMR.…”

“…Only students of Shiraz Medical University has PMR curriculum in a month. [ 2 ] Physiatrists can fill this gap in medical training with sufficient skills in musculoskeletal anatomy, kinesiology, electrodiagnosis, physical examination, injection techniques, and evaluation of pain and impaired patients. Physiatrists also participate in cares of musculoskeletal disorders relating to different fields of study.…”