The Adequacy of Undergraduate Orthopaedic Education in Makurdi, North central Nigeria

A large number of patients seek help for musculoskeletal conditions. Students and doctors have been noted to have a poor cognitive mastery of the subject area. This study aims to determine the adequacy of orthopedic learning of final year medical students. Freedman and Bernstein’s validated basic cognitive examination was administered to final year medical students who had completed their orthopaedic surgery course work and clinical rotations. Overall scores and responses to the individual questions were analyzed using SPSS. The recommended passing score of 73.1 per cent was employed. Forty undergraduate medical students took part in the study. None of the students attained the passing score of ≥73.1%. The mean score was 21.2%. The students performed best in general orthopaedics with a mean score of 11.4%. They scored 5.3% and 4.6% in anatomy and trauma respectively. The final year undergraduate students had a poor knowledge of orthopaedics. Considering the huge burden of musculoskeletal complaints, further studies are needed to assess interventions that will lead to curriculum improvement in the school.