Early assessment of a new integrated preclinical musculoskeletal curriculum at a medical school.

Increased incidence of musculoskeletal conditions and medical students' deficiencies in musculoskeletal knowledge have been a cause for concern for educators in this field. Findings from a 2005 study conducted at our institution revealed that medical students, despite acknowledging the importance of musculoskeletal education, have inadequate knowledge and skill in this system. In response to these findings, additions to the preclinical musculoskeletal curriculum were designed and instituted. Medical students were assessed at the end of the new curriculum, using the same evaluation tools that had been administered before the curricular changes, and responses from the second-year students who completed the entire new preclinical curriculum were compared with those of students who had completed the old curriculum. Results showed that students reported significantly higher levels of clinical confidence in performing physical examinations of several anatomical regions of the musculoskeletal system. A notable proportion of students cited weaknesses in other fields, such as anatomy, as a prominent contributor to their lack of confidence in the musculoskeletal system.