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. 2023 Mar 14;18(6):785-790.
doi: 10.1177/15598276231162803. eCollection 2024 Nov-Dec.

Physiatrists as Leaders in Lifestyle Medicine: A Survey of PM&R Residents

Kelsea J Sandefur  1 , Elizabeth P Frates  1 , Edward Phillips  1
Affiliations

Physiatrists as Leaders in Lifestyle Medicine: A Survey of PM&R Residents

Kelsea J Sandefur et al. Am J Lifestyle Med. .

Abstract

Introduction: Lifestyle is the root cause of most chronic disease, disability, and death. Lifestyle Medicine (LM) is an established, board certifiable field of medicine. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) is a multidisciplinary field which focuses on function and quality of life. The symbiosis of PM&R and LM is increasingly being recognized. Objective: To gauge the awareness of, use of, and interest in LM of PM&R residents and ask if they think PM&R physicians should be leaders in LM. Methods: Cross sectional survey of PM&R residents across PM&R programs in the USA. Results: Fifty-three percent of PM&R residents were familiar with LM. 85 and 84% of their medical schools and residencies had no LM education. PM&R residents "sometimes" included LM principles in their patient encounters. 88 and 89% of PM&R residents thought that medical schools and residencies should have LM education and 78% thought that PM&R physicians should be leaders of LM. Conclusions: This is the first study assessing the views on LM of PM&R residents. Despite the fact that PM&R residents lacked LM education, over half knew about LM. The vast majority felt that there should be more LM education in medical school and residency, and that PM&R physicians should be leaders of LM.

Keywords: PM&R; education; exercise; function; lifestyle medicine; nutrition; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Steps to incorporate LM.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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