Continuing medical education: interests of former and current residents of a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program.

To plan targeted, relevant continuing medical educational activities, a study was undertaken to assess demographic data, practice patterns, and current continuing medical educational needs of former graduates of the physical medicine and rehabilitation program. A survey was sent to the 168 physicians who had completed a physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program from 1961 to 1995 and to the 34 then current residents in the program. Questions were asked regarding gender, year of completion of residency, certification, fellowships, current employment situation, size of practice community, work time distribution, and busiest areas of clinical practice. In addition, from a list of 47 topics plus "other," the respondents indicated in which topics they had a current strong interest in continuing their education. They also responded to questions about their most important considerations when deliberating about attending an educational activity, the amount of notice required regarding an upcoming course, and the preferred duration of educational activities. The response rate of former residents was 56% and of then current residents was 100%. Topics of interest to greater than half of the respondents, in descending order, were musculoskeletal/soft tissue disorders, therapeutic injections/nerve blocks, industrial medicine, back and neck pain rehabilitation, and sports-related disorders. There were significant differences on some topics based on gender, year of residency completion, academic affiliation, private practice, and ratings of residency training in that topic. The most important consideration when deciding whether to attend an educational activity was, by far, interest in topic, followed by provision of continuing medical educational credits. There are among physiatrists several differences in educational interests that challenge continuing medical education planners to determine efficient, effective ways to deliver continuing medical education to meet these needs within the financial and time constraints imposed by today's clinical practice.