Creating an Assessment Tool for Clinical Musculoskeletal Knowledge

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Musculoskeletal (MSK) Disorders
• Assessment Tools

Background:

• Medical school curricula inadequately prepare graduates for common outpatient musculoskeletal (MSK) injury management.
• A significant gap exists in assessing and addressing MSK knowledge deficiencies among medical trainees.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a multiple-choice assessment tool to evaluate cognitive knowledge in basic MSK topics.
• To identify individual learner deficiencies and program-level gaps in MSK curriculum.

Main Methods:

• A multiple-choice MSK assessment was administered to medical students and residents at different training stages.
• Outcome measures included average scores, question-specific accuracy, and overall examination reliability.

Main Results:

• Examinees achieved an average score of 75.6%, with scores increasing with training year.
• No significant differences in scores were observed based on degree (MD/DO), gender, or training setting (military/civilian).
• The assessment demonstrated statistical validity in evaluating MSK knowledge and identifying curriculum gaps.

Conclusions:

• The developed MSK assessment tool is a valid method for evaluating cognitive knowledge in basic MSK topics.
• The tool effectively identifies individual learning deficits and highlights areas for improvement in medical training programs' MSK curricula.