Newcastle doctor to help medical students learn more about arthritis
A Newcastle doctor has been awarded a major grant by the Arthritis Research Campaign to help improve the training given to medical students on how to treat arthritic conditions.
Although arthritis and associated conditions account for one fifth of all visits to the doctor, a recent survey by the charity revealed that fewer than half of all GP trainees had ever had specific rheumatology training at medical school.
As a result, family doctors have little confidence in their abilities to diagnose and assess arthritic conditions, and many patients receive a poor service.
Now Dr David Coady, a specialist registrar at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, has been awarded a two-year£86,437 Educational Research Fellowship from the ARC to make it easier for doctors of the future to provide a better service to patients with arthritis.
"Doctors complain that they were poorly taught about musculoskeletal examination at medical school, leaving them with little confidence in their skills, which affects how they treat patients," explained Dr Coady.
"The ARC has already produced a standardised scheme for a screening examination, to help medical students to detect abnormalities in the joint. This project will take this approach on to the next stage, and we aim to identify the skills needed by medical students in order to improve their diagnosis of musculoskeletal conditions."
The results of the study will be used to improve teaching at medical schools, and to produce literature and videos for teaching.
Arthritis is the single biggest cause of disability in the UK, affecting around eight million people of all ages. Newcastle is a leading centre of ARC-funded research, and has a national reputation for the treatment of children and adolescents with arthritis.
