Are primary care physicians ill equipped to evaluate and treat childhood physical inactivity?

Objective: To investigate primary care physician clinical practice patterns, barriers, and education surrounding pediatric physical activity (PA), and to compare practice patterns by discipline.Study design: Cross-sectional studyMethods: 4500 randomly selected pediatricians, family practice, and sports medicine physicians in the United States were surveyed (11% response rate). Main outcome measures were questionnaire answers on clinical effort, attitudes, and barriers surrounding PA, medical education in exercise science, and awareness of ICD-9 diagnostic codes pertaining to physical inactivity.Results: Approximately 15% of patient interaction time was spent on the evaluation and treatment of physical inactivity for a normal weight child. For an overweight or obese child, clinical time spent on PA almost doubles. Regardless of weight, sports medicine physicians spent significantly more time on the evaluation of physical activity compared to family/internal medicine physicians and pediatricians. Mean percentage of time family/internal medicine physicians spent on PA evaluation and treatment was consistently less than sports medicine physicians, and consistently more than pediatricians. Most physicians strongly agreed that PA assessment and treatment are important for disease prevention; only 28% had ever made the diagnosis of childhood physical inactivity. Limited clinical time was identified as a primary barrier to diagnosing childhood physical inactivity. Eighty-five percent of respondents were unaware of ICD-9 codes for reimbursement of PA evaluation. Eighty-one percent reported a paucity of exercise science education in medical school.Conclusion: While physicians report that PA evaluation is important in practice, behavior patterns surrounding time evaluating PA and treating childhood physical inactivity are discrepant. Pediatricians showed less favorable attitudes and effort surrounding PA compared to other primary care disciplines. The majority of physicians are unaware of physical inactivity diagnostic codes, have never made the diagnosis of childhood physical inactivity, and may not be receiving basic pediatric exercise science training required for evaluating and treating childhood physical inactivity.

Toward a Consensus for Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography Education in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: A National Poll of Residency Directors.

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were to evaluate integration of musculoskeletal ultrasonography education in physical medicine and rehabilitation training programs in 2014-2015, when the American Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Residency Review Committee both recognized it as a fundamental component of physiatric practice, to identify common musculoskeletal ultrasonography components of physical medicine and rehabilitation residency curricula, and to identify common barriers to integration. DESIGN: Survey of 78 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited physical medicine and rehabilitation residency programs was conducted. RESULTS: The 2015 survey response rate was more than 50%, and respondents were representative of programs across the United States. Most programs (80%) reported teaching musculoskeletal ultrasonography, whereas a minority (20%) required mastery of ultrasonography skills for graduation. Ultrasonography curricula varied, although most programs agreed that the scope of resident training in physical medicine and rehabilitation should include diagnostic and interventional musculoskeletal ultrasonography, especially for key joints (shoulder, elbow, knee, wrist, hip, and ankle) and nerves (median, ulnar, fibular, tibial, radial, and sciatic). Barriers to teaching included insufficient expertise of instructors, poor access to equipment, and lack of a structured curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: Musculoskeletal ultrasonography has become a required component of physical medicine and rehabilitation residency training. Based on survey responses and expert recommendations, we propose a structure for musculoskeletal ultrasonography curricular standards and milestones for trainee competency.

The Diagnostic Accuracy of Special Tests for Rotator Cuff Tear: The ROW Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess diagnostic accuracy of 15 shoulder special tests for rotator cuff tears. DESIGN: From February 2011 to December 2012, 208 participants with shoulder pain were recruited in a cohort study. RESULTS: Among tests for supraspinatus tears, Jobe test had a sensitivity of 88% (95% confidence interval [CI], 80%-96%), specificity of 62% (95% CI, 53%-71%), and likelihood ratio of 2.30 (95% CI, 1.79-2.95). The full can test had a sensitivity of 70% (95% CI, 59%-82%) and a specificity of 81% (95% CI, 74%-88%). Among tests for infraspinatus tears, external rotation lag signs at 0 degrees had a specificity of 98% (95% CI, 96%-100%) and a likelihood ratio of 6.06 (95% CI, 1.30-28.33), and the Hornblower sign had a specificity of 96% (95% CI, 93%-100%) and likelihood ratio of 4.81 (95% CI, 1.60-14.49). CONCLUSIONS: Jobe test and full can test had high sensitivity and specificity for supraspinatus tears, and Hornblower sign performed well for infraspinatus tears. In general, special tests described for subscapularis tears have high specificity but low sensitivity. These data can be used in clinical practice to diagnose rotator cuff tears and may reduce the reliance on expensive imaging.

Pilot Point-of-Care Ultrasound Curriculum at Harvard Medical School: Early Experience.

INTRODUCTION: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is expanding across all medical specialties. As the benefits of US technology are becoming apparent, efforts to integrate US into pre-clinical medical education are growing. Our objective was to describe our process of integrating POCUS as an educational tool into the medical school curriculum and how such efforts are perceived by students. METHODS: This was a pilot study to introduce ultrasonography into the Harvard Medical School curriculum to first- and second-year medical students. Didactic and hands-on sessions were introduced to first-year students during gross anatomy and to second-year students in the physical exam course. Student-perceived attitudes, understanding, and knowledge of US, and its applications to learning the physical exam, were measured by a post-assessment survey. RESULTS: All first-year anatomy students (n=176) participated in small group hands-on US sessions. In the second-year physical diagnosis course, 38 students participated in four sessions. All students (91%) agreed or strongly agreed that additional US teaching should be incorporated throughout the four-year medical school curriculum. CONCLUSION: POCUS can effectively be integrated into the existing medical school curriculum by using didactic and small group hands-on sessions. Medical students perceived US training as valuable in understanding human anatomy and in learning physical exam skills. This innovative program demonstrates US as an additional learning modality. Future goals include expanding on this work to incorporate US education into all four years of medical school.

The Current State of Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Education in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Programs.

BACKGROUND: Exposure to musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) is now a mandatory component of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residency training. However, reports on the extent of the implementation and efficacy of MSUS education are lacking in the literature. OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent to which PM&R residencies are implementing MSUS education. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: Institutional. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-six of the 78 United States PM&R residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. METHODS: All 78 programs were solicited with an online survey via the residency program director and coordinator in July 2014. The 25 questions on the survey were aimed at determining program MSUS educational characteristics and their effectiveness. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Description of teaching methods used for MSUS, residency demographics, characteristics of MSUS faculty expertise, and faculty-perceived competency in MSUS examinations and procedures among residents. Data were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and tests for independence to identify correlations between program characteristics and resident MSUS competency. RESULTS: A response was received from 36 of the 78 residency programs (46.2%). Of the 36 residency programs that responded, 97.2% provide exposure to MSUS (a figure that drops to 44.9% when nonrespondents are included); 61% had mandatory MSUS training (28.2% when including nonrespondents); and 44.4% had a formal curriculum (20.5% when including nonrespondents). The most common MSUS educational tools used were lecture (88.9%), outpatient clinic (86.1%), and hands-on workshops (86.1%). Sixty-one percent of responding programs evaluate residents with formal assessment tools. Overall, faculty at 38.8% and 44.4% of programs believed that at least 50% of residents who graduate are competent in diagnostic and interventional MSUS, respectively. These rates were significantly associated with the use of formal assessment. CONCLUSION: MSUS education is growing in PM&R, but many programs still have not adopted a formal educational curriculum. Formal assessment to evaluate resident MSUS skills significantly improves faculty-perceived MSUS competency.

Resident-Perceived Benefit of a Diagnostic and Interventional Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Curriculum: A Multifaceted Approach Using Independent Study, Peer Teaching, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration.

Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) training is now a required component of physiatry residency, but formal curriculum guidelines are not yet required or established. The authors' objective was to assess the educational value of a collaborative residency MSUS training program. The authors designed a structured MSUS training curriculum for residents based on the authors' experience and previous literature. Twenty-five residents participated in this MSUS curriculum designed by faculty and chief residents. Resident volunteers were trained by the faculty as "table trainers" who taught their peers in small groups. Hands-on MSUS training sessions were led by a Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation faculty MSUS expert. A Likert scale-formatted questionnaire assessed resident-perceived value of the curriculum. Response rate was 96% (22 of 23). Self-reported MSUS knowledge comparing precurriculum and postcurriculum implementation resulted in significant improvement (P = 0.001). Peer teaching was highly valued, with 86% of residents rating it "very" or "extremely" beneficial (mean [SD] score, 3.9 [1.1]). Self-guided learning, by supplemental scanning and reading, was rated "beneficial" or "very beneficial" by 73% of residents (3.0 [0.7]). The authors' successful pilot program may serve as a teaching model for other residency programs.

Nonsurgical treatment of lumbar disk herniation: are outcomes different in older adults?

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether older adults (aged ≥ 60) experience less improvement in disability and pain with nonsurgical treatment of lumbar disk herniation (LDH) than younger adults (< 60). DESIGN: Prospective longitudinal comparative cohort study. SETTING: Outpatient specialty spine clinic. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred thirty-three consecutive patients with radicular pain and magnetic resonance-confirmed acute LDH (89 younger, 44 older). INTERVENTION: Nonsurgical treatment customized for the individual patient. MEASUREMENTS: Patient-reported disability on the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), leg pain intensity, and back pain intensity were recorded at baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months. The primary outcome was the ODI change score at 6 months. Secondary longitudinal analyses examined rates of change over the follow-up period. RESULTS: Older adults demonstrated improvements in ODI (range 0-100) and pain intensity (range 0-10) with nonsurgical treatment that were not significantly different from those seen in younger adults at 6 month follow-up, with or without adjustment for potential confounders. Adjusted mean improvement in older and younger adults were 31 versus 33 (P = .63) for ODI, 4.5 versus 4.5 (P = .99) for leg pain, and 2.4 versus 2.7 for back pain (P = .69). A greater amount of the total improvement in leg pain and back pain in older adults was noted in the first month of follow-up than in younger adults. CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings suggest that the outcomes of LDH with nonsurgical treatment were not worse in older adults (≥ 60) than in younger adults (< 60). Future research is warranted to examine nonsurgical treatment for LDH in older adults.

Sensorineural hearing loss in patients with cystic fibrosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and its relationship to antibiotic use. STUDY DESIGN: Case series with chart review. SETTING: Tertiary care pediatric hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of CF patients seen in our children's hospital between March 1994 and December 2007. Data collected included patient demographics, audiograms, tympanograms, genotype, and use of potentially ototoxic antibiotics. RESULTS: Seven of 50 (14%) patients had SNHL. Three percent of patients who received 10 courses (P<0.01). No patients who received five or fewer courses of nasal irrigation with aminoglycosides had SNHL versus 23 percent of those who received more than five courses (P<0.05). Nine percent of patients who received five or fewer courses of macrolides had SNHL versus 60 percent of those who received more than five courses (P=0.079). CONCLUSION: CF patients receiving aminoglycosides are at high risk for developing SNHL.

Phosphorylcholine-coated antibiotic tympanostomy tubes: are post-tube placement complications reduced?

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a phosphorylcholine (PC) antibacterial coating on standard Armstrong beveled tympanostomy tubes (TT) reduced the incidence of post-tube placement complications. METHODS: A prospective cohort aged 8-51 months received bilateral TTs for otitis media with effusion between July 2002 and February 2004 at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Seventy children were randomized to receive a PC-coated TT in one ear and an uncoated TT in the other. Otologic examinations at prescribed intervals over two years post-operatively ascertained the status of sequelae. We analyzed the incidence of TT complications: otorrhea, premature extrusion, persistent tympanic membrane perforations, granulation tissue, and ventilation tube lumen obstruction. RESULTS: There was no statistical difference in the incidence of any of these sequelae between standard and PC-coated tympanostomy tubes (p>0.05) during the 24-month-follow-up period. Results after 13 months of follow-up may have been affected by patients lost to follow-up and therefore a smaller sample size as the study continued. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that there is no statistically significant difference in the incidence of complications between uncoated and PC-coated fluoroplastic Armstrong beveled TTs.

Effect of adenotonsillectomy in PFAPA syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the benefits of adenotonsillectomy in the treatment of pediatric patients with PFAPA (periodic fever, aphthous ulcers, pharyngitis, and adenitis) syndrome. DESIGN: Prospective case series. SETTING: Tertiary care pediatric hospital. PATIENTS: Pediatric patients meeting criteria for PFAPA syndrome. INTERVENTION: Tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Resolution of PFAPA symptoms. RESULTS: Twenty-seven (14 female, 13 male) children with PFAPA syndrome underwent tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy from 2004 through 2006. The length of follow-up for all patients ranged from 8 to 41 months. A total of 26 patients experienced a complete resolution of their symptoms. The 1 child who continued to have febrile episodes had fever cycles that were not regular in duration or interval and in hindsight was not likely a patient with PFAPA syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed complete resolution of symptoms in 26 of 27 patients with PFAPA syndrome treated surgically. Patients who meet clinical criteria for PFAPA syndrome should be considered for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy if they do not respond to medical management.