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. 2024 Aug 20;16(8):e67300.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.67300. eCollection 2024 Aug.

Exploring Medical Students' Knowledge and Perceptions of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialty in Qassim University

Ahmad H Al-Washmi  1 , Noura I Al-Otayk  2 , Nawaf S Al-Rubaysh  3 , Samar A Al-Harbi  2 , Faisal T Al-Ayed  2 , Rayan S Al-Khedhairi  2 , Abdulmajeed E Al-Harbi  4 , Khalid M Al-Khalifah  4
Affiliations

Exploring Medical Students' Knowledge and Perceptions of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Specialty in Qassim University

Ahmad H Al-Washmi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Objectives: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) is a medical branch that aims to manage, prevent, and diagnose people who are disabled due to disease, disorder, or injury. The purpose of this study is to explore the level of awareness and scope of the PM&R specialty among medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia, with 287 medical students. Cochran's method was used to establish the sample size of 287 medical students with a 5% margin of error and a 95% confidence level. An online survey was conducted among undergraduate students at Qassim University's Medical College. SPSS was utilized to study the characteristics of the population demographics. An independent t-test was used to calculate the significant values of each questionnaire. A significant value of <0.05 was considered as a significant value. Results: Among 287 medical students, 38.5% of students agreed to PM&R course inclusion in the undergraduate curriculum. 78.8% of students agreed with no specialization in PM&R, and 60.8% agreed that the lack of PM&R in Saudi area hospitals contributed to less recognition. Overall, medical students had low to moderate knowledge of PM&R. Conclusion: The study presents the need to train medical students in PM&R during their medical studies, develop more recognition, and integrate musculoskeletal and physical checkup skills among medical students. Moreover, it should have a practical implication across the nation so that more medical students develop knowledge and skills.

Keywords: cross-sectional; health knowledge; higher education; perception; physical medicine and rehabilitation; students.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Committee of Research Ethics, Deanship of Scientific Research, Qassim University issued approval H-04-Q-001. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Graphical presentation of the participant’s response to the question; in which clinical setting do you believe PM&R practices?
Figure 2
Figure 2. Graphical presentation of the participant’s response to the question ‘which conditions do you think PM&R physicians address’?
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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