Teaching a screening musculoskeletal examination: a randomized, controlled trial of different instructional methods

To develop and test a program to teach a rapid screening musculoskeletal examination.

In 1995, 191 medical and physician assistant students were randomized to four intervention groups: written materials only (n = 47), written materials and videotape (n = 46), written materials and small-group sessions facilitated by fourth-year medical students (n = 55), and all three methods (n = 43). Assessments, in the form of a written test and standardized patient examinations, were conducted before the interventions (n = 40 randomly selected students), seven to ten days and again three months after the interventions (n = all 191 students), and 16 months after the interventions (n = 103 students).

While the four intervention groups' written test scores were approximately equal, their scores on the standardized patient examination differed significantly. The students taught in small groups demonstrated significantly superior examination skills compared with the students taught with written material or videotape at seven to ten days and retained this relative superiority after three and 16 months (p < .0001).

Small-group instruction with hands-on supervised practice is superior to more passive instructional methods for teaching musculoskeletal examination skills and can be successfully delivered by trained senior medical student facilitators with minimal direct expenditure of faculty time.