Immediate and follow-up effects of a brief disability curriculum on disability knowledge and attitudes of PM&R residents: a comparison group trial.
BACKGROUND
Humanistic attitudes are essential in physicians and therefore supporting them is a key component in graduate medical education (GME). The importance of a physician's attitude toward people with disability is especially relevant within the rehabilitation discipline, as prevailing attitudes and misconceptions can be potential barriers to successful diagnosis and treatment.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to examine the relationship between participation in a brief disability sensitivity training and knowledge of disability and attitudes of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residents toward people with disability.


METHODS
A daylong training for residents consisted of lectures and a panel presentation that covered (1) disability facts, (2) personal stories of people with disabilities, and (3) medical evaluation of disability. The presentations were followed by a simulation experience where resident pairs (one assigned to a wheel chair, the other a "caretaker") performed various tasks. This was followed by a group discussion of their experience. Three instruments were administered prior to the training: (1) a brief demographic questionnaire, (2) 30 multiple choice questions measuring various aspects of knowledge about disability, and (3) the Scale of Attitudes toward Disabled Persons, Form R (SADP). After the training experience, the knowledge instrument and the SADP were re-administered along with a series of items to measure various aspects of students' satisfaction with the training. The three instruments described were re-administered 3 months post-training.


RESULTS
There was significant immediate gain in both the disability knowledge and the attitude scores among trainees as compared to a control group of physiatry residents in standard medical training. Knowledge gains of the disability sensitivity training group did not persist, but attitude toward disability gains remained at the 3 months follow up.


CONCLUSIONS
After a brief curriculum in disability knowledge and sensitivity for PM&R physicians in training, there was a short-term improvement in disability knowledge and an improvement in disability attitudes sustained at 3 months.
Moroz
Alex
A
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York University, New York, USA. alex.moroz@nyumc.org
Gonzalez-Ramos
Gladys
G
Festinger
Trudy
T
Langer
Karen
K
Zefferino
Stephanie
S
Kalet
Adina
A
D000328:Adult; D003479:Curriculum; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching