title: Family medicine residents' training in, knowledge about, and perceptions of digital rectal examination.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate family medicine residents' training in, knowledge about, and perceptions of digital rectal examination (DRE).
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive study, using an online survey that was available in French and English.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quebec.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 217 residents enrolled in a family medicine program.
  
  
  METHODS
  Residents' demographic characteristics; the DRE teaching they received throughout their medical training; their reasons for omitting DRE; their recognition of DRE indications (strong vs weak) and application of DRE for 10 anorectal complaints; and their perceptions of the overall quality of the DRE training they received.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 879 residents contacted, 217 (25%) responded to the survey. Throughout their training, one-third of respondents did not receive any supervision for or feedback on DRE technique. Seventy-one percent of respondents expressed their inability to identify the nature of abnormal examination findings at least once during their training. The most frequently reported reasons to omit DRE were patient refusal, inadequate setting, and lack of time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most of the residents in this study had omitted DRE at least once in their clinical work despite recognizing its importance. There was discordance between recognition of a complaint requiring DRE and execution of this technique in a clinical setting. Family medicine education programs and continuing medical education committees should consider including DRE training.
authors.affiliation: General surgeon recently graduated from Laval University in Quebec city, Que. annick.bussieres.1@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Annick
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bussières
authors.affiliation: Colorectal surgeon at Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouchard
authors.affiliation: Biostatistician at Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec Research Centre.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Simonyan
authors.affiliation: Colorectal surgeon at Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec.
authors.forename: Sebastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Drolet
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D051517:Digital Rectal Examination / Q000379:methods*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D011792:Quebec; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires