Do family practice residents in the United States learn clinical rheumatology? An important question.

The "Arthritis Establishment" is not succeeding in its goal that "every primary and family physician should know criteria for early diagnosis of arthritis, techniques of treatment and when to refer patients for specialized care." The inadequate training of family practice residents in rheumatic diseases is in part responsible for the failure to deliver optimal medical care to the nation's 22 million arthritics.