Utilizing near-peer teaching to expand obesity medicine training within an internal medicine residency curriculum

Obesity management is within the scope of an internist's practice in the primary care setting; however, physicians feel unprepared to address the topic. Many internal medicine (IM) residency programs struggle to include obesity management in their curricula. The objective of our study is to assess the self-reported knowledge and comfort of IM residents when addressing overweight and obesity following a near-peer teaching session on the subject.

A near-peer teaching session on the topic of overweight and obesity was presented in morning report format for IM residents. Pre-session, immediate post-session, and three-month follow-up surveys were completed to compare comfort and self-reported knowledge on obesity management in relation to the session. Z-test was used to analyze answers between survey time points.

Out of fifty-one eligible residents, forty-one residents attended the teaching session. Thirty-three residents responded to the pre-session survey, twenty-five to the immediate post-session survey, and eighteen to the three-month follow-up survey. At baseline, residents recognized obesity as a chronic medical condition and were willing to address the topic with patients. Between pre- and immediate post-session surveys, residents demonstrated increased self-reported knowledge in recognizing BMI cutoffs, criteria for bariatric surgery, comfort offering dietary advice, documentation of obesity as a diagnosis, awareness of obesity management tools including nutrition services and willingness to provide them to patients. At the three-month follow-up survey, there was retention of BMI cutoffs and nutrition service availability, but there were partial losses in self-reported knowledge of criteria for bariatric surgery and locating obesity management tools.

A near-peer led teaching session in a morning report style format can increase residents' self-reported knowledge and comfort when addressing overweight and obesity, without overburdening the curriculum. Spaced review of the topic may overcome the partial knowledge losses seen in our IM resident population.