Document Detail


Medical residents' knowledge of dietary supplements.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18791539     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
INTRODUCTION: The widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine modalities such as dietary supplements has prompted many medical schools to offer courses covering such topics. To date, little is known about the impact of these courses on medical graduates' knowledge. This study was designed to evaluate resident physicians' level of understanding of popular dietary supplement regulation and to determine whether an interactive online curriculum could aid in improving such knowledge. METHODS: A multicenter online educational intervention was developed and administered to physicians at 15 internal medicine residency programs throughout the United States, between March 1, 2006 and June 30, 2006. Pretest performance was used to measure baseline knowledge of commonly used dietary supplements. Posttest performance compared with pretest performance measured the effectiveness of the educational intervention. RESULTS: A total of 335 physicians completed the module. Baseline knowledge of dietary supplements was low (average pretest score 59.7%). More than one-third of respondents were unaware of the reasons for use of saw palmetto and black cohosh. Results for questions on safety and drug-supplement interactions were similarly low. Only 57% of physicians knew that kava kava has been associated with hepatitis. Only 15% were aware that St. John's Wort can lower cyclosporine levels. With regards to knowledge of efficacy, only 36% were aware that fish oil has been shown to lower triglyceride levels. After completion of the curriculum, scores improved significantly (P < 0.001) in all question/content areas. CONCLUSIONS: Residents' knowledge of dietary supplements is poor. An online didactic module may improve knowledge and potentially enhance patient-physician communication regarding the use of such products.
Authors:
Bimal H Ashar; Tasha N Rice; Stephen D Sisson
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Multicenter Study    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Southern medical journal     Volume:  101     ISSN:  1541-8243     ISO Abbreviation:  South. Med. J.     Publication Date:  2008 Oct 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2008-10-08     Completed Date:  2008-10-24     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0404522     Medline TA:  South Med J     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  996-1000     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Division of General Internal Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287-0941, USA. bashar@jhmi.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Curriculum*
Dietary Supplements*
Humans
Internet
Internship and Residency*
Professional Competence
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
South Med J. 2008 Oct;101(10):981-2   [PMID:  18791524 ]

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