Women's health issues and residents' knowledge

The American Board of Internal Medicine has stated that women's health and gender-based medicine should be included in internal medicine residency curricula. We surveyed resident perceptions of curricular adequacy in domestic violence and coronary artery disease compared to actual knowledge using a 17-item Likert survey and a knowledge-based questionnaire (n = 86). Ninety-one percent of the residents rated inadequacies in the women's health curriculum. Of residents who rated the domestic violence curriculum as adequate, 26% were unable to describe two factors in detection, triage, and treatment of these patients. Of residents who rated the cardiac disease curriculum adequate, 26% were unable to describe two gender differences in risk factors, presentation, and prognosis of coronary disease. A gap exists between perceptions of residency curricular adequacy and actual knowledge in domestic violence and coronary disease in women.