Teaching musculoskeletal physical diagnosis using a web-based tutorial and pathophysiology-focused cases

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Musculoskeletal Physical Diagnosis

Background:

• Musculoskeletal complaints are prevalent in primary care, yet practitioners often lack proficiency in examination skills.
• Existing methods for teaching the musculoskeletal exam lack standardization.
• A novel, web-based curriculum incorporating peer practice and pathophysiology cases was developed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of an experimental web-based musculoskeletal curriculum compared to a traditional curriculum for first-year medical students.
• To assess student and preceptor satisfaction with the novel teaching method.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study involving two consecutive classes of medical students.
• One class received the traditional curriculum (control), while the other received the experimental curriculum (web-based tutorial, cases, facilitator preparation).
• Knowledge and skills were assessed using multiple-choice questions and musculoskeletal Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs).

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences in knowledge or skills were found between the experimental and control groups.
• Average scores on multiple-choice examinations were identical (66%) for both groups.
• Median musculoskeletal OSCE scores showed no difference between groups, though the experimental group reported satisfaction and valued the persistent resource.

Conclusions:

• The web-based experimental curriculum demonstrated comparable effectiveness to the traditional curriculum in teaching the musculoskeletal exam.
• Students were satisfied with the web-based training, appreciating its accessibility and utility as a persistent resource.