A Patient-Narrative Video Approach to Teaching Fibromyalgia

Although fibromyalgia is one of the most common and clinically important rheumatologic entities, physicians frequently report that their training fails to prepare them to manage this disease. Many medical schools devote insufficient time and attention to the subject of fibromyalgia, resulting in training gaps that can manifest as failures of both knowledge and empathy. There is a need for evidence-based, time-efficient methods for teaching this important subject. We have developed a narrative-driven video presentation for clerkship students and sought to evaluate its impact on fibromyalgia-related knowledge and attitudes.

Fibromyalgia: A Patient's Perspective (FPP), a 13-minute video, was presented to third-year medical students (N = 54). Surveys of knowledge and attitudes were collected before and after the video. Composite scores, as well as Knowledge and Attitudes subscales, were computed, and paired t tests were used to compare pre/post means for these scales, as well as for individual questions. Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to identify correlations between survey scores and student sex and specialty of interest.

Between pre-experience and post-experience surveys, there were statistically significant differences for 11 of 15 questions (73%). The composite score increased from 3.8 (SD = 0.44) to 4.2 (SD = 0.47) (P < .0001). Knowledge and Attitude subscale scores also increased, from 4.0 (SD = 0.5) to 4.38 (SD = 0.5) (P < .0001) and 3.6 (SD = 0.5) to 3.93 (SD = 0.5) (P < .0001), respectively. Students reported favorable impressions of the video, with 87% agreeing that the video was helpful to learners and 79% disagreeing that a lecture would be preferable to the video. No differences in scores by sex or intended specialty were observed.

The FPP video demonstrates promise as a tool for enhancing both knowledge of and positive, empathic attitudes toward fibromyalgia in medical learners. It may serve as a useful resource for educators looking to further develop their clinical pain management curricula.