The effect of an educational intervention, based on clinical simulation, on the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

Abstract Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational tool for general physicians, based on rheumatological clinical simulation, for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Methods A randomized clinical study was carried out, in which the physician research subjects were assigned to one of two groups: the experimental group (educational intervention for rheumatoid arthritis with clinical simulation) or the control group (educational intervention for the basic aspects of the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis). Four weeks after the educational intervention, the members of both groups completed an examination that included four clinical cases with real patients, two clinical cases with two clinical simulation models and six virtual clinical cases. In this examination, the participants noted clinical findings, established a diagnosis and defined the complementary tests they would request, if necessary, to corroborate their diagnosis. Results A total of 160 doctors participated (80 in the active educational intervention for rheumatoid arthritis and 80 in the control group), of whom 89 were women (56%). The mean age was 35 (standard deviation 7.7) years. Success was defined as a physician correctly diagnosing at least 10 of the 12 cases presented. A significant difference of 81.3% (95% confidence interval 72–90%; p < 0.001) in success was found in favour of the active group (88.8% versus 7.5%). A greater number of correct answers was found in the active group compared with the control group in the detection of clinical findings and in the number of complementary tests requested ( p < 0.001). Conclusions The study showed the effectiveness of an educational intervention based on clinical simulation to improve the diagnostic approach to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The results open a new horizon in the teaching of rheumatology.