Using a Workshop Format for Physiatry Trainees in the Management of Acute Sports-Related Concussion

Select residency and medical student training programs have developed and researched skill-based workshops, focusing on mastering a surgical or communication skill; however, they are less frequently studied in physiatry residency programs. Given the importance of concussion care in physiatric practice, this study sought to measure the effectiveness of a novel sports-related concussion workshop. Based on the 5th International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport, a 6-hr concussion workshop was developed. Participants were administered a preworkshop and postworkshop questionnaire to gauge level of comfort managing various aspects of concussion, case-based questions to assess participant knowledge, and questions regarding satisfaction with workshop-based training sessions. Sixteen participants, ranging from PGY-2 to PGY-5, were included in the analyses, with significant gains (P < 0.0001 to P = 0.0045) made in all measures of comfort managing sports-related concussion; the study was unable to detect a statistically significant improvement in knowledge as assessed by the patient vignettes (P = 0.17), but participants did report high levels of satisfaction with workshop-based training sessions. Thus, workshop-based physiatry trainee education sessions can be used to teach trainees certain skills or provide comprehensive training in the management of a specific condition. Participants demonstrated improved comfort managing concussion, a trend toward improved knowledge, and a high degree of satisfaction with the content's method delivery.