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Development and Implementation of the "Exercise is Medicine" Elective at an Osteopathic Medical School
Cameron Mitchell1, Samantha DeMartino1, Lauren Ivers1
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, 400 Lee St, Lewisburg, WV 24901 USA.
Introduction:
Lifestyle changes are a powerful way to combat many chronic illnesses. However, education on appropriate instruction of physical activity appears to be insufficient among medical students. This manuscript highlights development, incorporation, and feedback of the Exercise is Medicine elective at the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Materials And Methods:
Twenty-four medical students attended ten weekly sessions, each of which lasted 2 h and covered a different topic. Participants were selected based on previous experience with exercise-based medicine and their personal beliefs on incorporating it into clinical encounters. Outcomes were gathered using surveys consisting of the Likert Scale, rating, yes/no/maybe, and free text questions.
Results:
Confidence in prescribing lifestyle changes increased (p < 0.0001) from pre- to post-elective. Feelings of incorporating course material into practice increased (p < 0.05) after the elective. Feelings that physicians could impact their patients' physical activity did not change.
Conclusion:
Implementation of the Exercise is Medicine elective was well received among students and increased student knowledge and confidence in prescribing lifestyle changes to a variety of patient populations.
Supplementary Information:
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-024-02172-z.
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