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Report on Musculoskeletal Education

In November 2005, the Arthritis Foundation, Eastern PA Chapter announced the release of a policy report describing the need for improvement in the musculoskeletal content in undergraduate medical education.

The report was developed by the Professional Education Task Force of Pennsylvania Arthritis Action Plan or PAAP Communication and Education Task Force. The Task Force was charged with addressing PAAP strategy number 20: “Expand arthritis-related knowledge and improve the attitudes and practices of health care providers.” The Task Force was chaired by Eugene S. Hong, MD, CAQSM, Associate Professor, Sports Medicine and Family Medicine, Interim Chairman, Department of Family, Community and Preventive Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. Sue Smith, PT, Ph.D, Associate Professor, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University is a co-author of the policy report.

PAAP is a compilation of strategies recommended by over 60 statewide stakeholders for addressing the growing incidence of arthritis in Pennsylvania. PAAP was issued in 2003 by the Chapter and the PA Department of Health (DOH) and since then it has guided the arthritis-related work of both the Chapter and DOH. The preparation of a new iteration of PAAP is underway.

The policy report summarizes the literature, which suggests that the musculoskeletal content in undergraduate medical education could be improved by:

  • Increasing the time spent on musculoskeletal education
  • Providing more and better methods for teaching clinical skills and physical examination
  • Increasing exposure to patients with musculoskeletal conditions in out-patient clinical settings and
  • Increasing emphasis on assessing and improving function in patients with chronic musculoskeletal conditions.

The report will be among the resources used by the Society for Teachers of Family Medicine, the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine, and the American Association of Medical Colleges all of which have established working groups on musculoskeletal education.

For a copy of report, please contact Ellen Marshall at emarshall@arthritis.org.