Effect of structured orthopaedic education on musculoskeletal knowledge among non-orthopaedic healthcare professionals: A narrative review

Background

Over 1.7 billion people worldwide suffer from musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), which include osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and low back pain. These ailments account for 149 million years of life with a handicap. General practitioners, nurses, and emergency physicians are examples of non-orthopaedic healthcare workers who frequently lack formal training in musculoskeletal assessment and management, despite their significant frequency. This disparity in education leads to subpar patient treatment, improper referrals, and delayed diagnosis, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methodology

This narrative review assesses the extent and constraints of orthopaedic education for non-orthopaedic healthcare practitioners by looking at current medical and nursing curricula in India, global health data, and existing research and literature searches in PubMed, EMBASE and web of science. The search included studies on orthopaedic education in curricula, english language, peer reviewed studies from 2004 to 2024. It highlights difficulties such limited clinical exposure, a lack of standardised training, time restrictions, and a lack of resources. Triage procedures, early education initiatives, and collaborative care models' effects on enhancing the provision of musculoskeletal healthcare are also covered in the review.

Results

Research indicates that non-specialist healthcare practitioners have a serious lack of orthopaedic understanding. Musculoskeletal health receives less attention in medical and nursing undergraduate and graduate programs in India. According to studies, improved triage and musculoskeletal care training enhances early red flag detection, maximises resource allocation, and lowers long-term consequences. Advanced-trained physical therapists routinely perform better on MSD assessments than many other medical professionals. Effective methods to narrow this gap include national curriculum standardisation and collaborative, case-based learning.

Conclusion

Current deficiencies include inadequate curricular emphasis, restricted clinical exposure, lack of standardized training, resource constraints, and time pressures. Strategies to overcome these deficiencies include integrating standardized modules such as GALS and pGALS, case-based and simulation-based learning, developing e-learning repositories and promoting interprofessional collaborations. Also triage training and early education initiatives can further strengthen skills of the healthcare professionals and a stratified training framework can ensure competency development, ultimately improving musculoskeletal care and patient outcomes.