RT Journal
A1 Scoles, Peter V.
T1 The Significance of SignificanceCommentary on an article by Robert Grunfeld, MD, et al.: “An Assessment of Musculoskeletal Knowledge in Graduating Medical and Physician Assistant Students and Implications for Musculoskeletal Care Providers”
JF The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
JO The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery
YR 2012
FD February 15
VO 94
IS 4
SP e28 1
OP 2
DO 10.2106/JBJS.K.01482
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.2106/JBJS.K.01482
AB 
Grunfeld and his co-investigators express their belief that all health care providers should have a basic fund of musculoskeletal knowledge that permits them to provide appropriate, safe, and efficient care. This is reasonable, and, in fact, the public largely believes that this is so. Unfortunately, there are few cross-disciplinary studies of the knowledge base of health care providers. The authors of this multicenter study used a valid and highly reliable standardized assessment of musculoskeletal knowledge produced by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) to test the hypothesis that the basal knowledge of musculoskeletal medicine is equivalent in medical students and physician assistant students nearing graduation.