Rehabilitation Medicine Educational Experiences

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine whether exposure to rehabilitation medicine (RM) educational experiences during medical school is associated with physicians' awareness of rehabilitation medicine; attitude toward the specialty; an inclination to properly manage long-term care; and a tendency to seek expert con sultation and patient referral when indicated. The study utilizes a retrospective research design intended to take advantage of natural situations and events which occurred in four medical schools. Based on responses to a mail survey questionnaire, the study assesses the outcomes associated with the methods used to acquaint medical students with RM in three select schools acknowledged to have strong RM departments, and one "comparison school" which, until recently, had a somewhat limited medical school RM curriculum. Results suggest that practicing physicians who attended medical schools with relatively strong RM departments express greater familiarity with RM and, in addi tion, reported greater satisfaction with their RM medical school experiences. Further, they are more likely to both consult with physiatrists and refer severely physically disabled and chronically ill individuals to physiatrists than are the graduates of the comparison school. Medical school officials might make use of the study's findings when making decisions concerning the allocation of resources to support medical school rehabilitation medicine curricula.