• Scott A Vogelgesang, Theresa M Karplus, and Clarence D Kreiter.
• Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA. scott-vogelgesang@uiowa.edu
• J Gen Intern Med. 2002 Jun 1; 17 (6): 441445441-5.

ObjectiveWe developed an instructional program to teach aspiration and injection techniques of the knee and shoulder to medical students and residents.MethodsResidents and fourth-year medical students participating in a rheumatology elective were assigned by deterministic allocation into 3 groups: the Traditional group received no specific instruction in arthrocentesis but simply rotated through rheumatology, learning injection techniques only if they saw patients who required them; the Lecture-only group received only the didactic lecture and did not have the opportunity to practice on the models; the Program group participated in the newly developed program of instruction that combined a didactic lecture and a hands-on workshop using the anatomic models to practice arthrocentesis techniques.ResultsThe scores on the written examination for those in the Program group (mean score 37.46 out of 40 possible) and the Lecture-only group (mean 37.75) were significantly higher than those of the Traditional group (mean 33.15) (P <.05). The scores on the practical examination for those in the Program group (mean score 24.08 out of 26 possible) were significantly higher than those of the Lecture-only (mean 20.50) and Traditional (mean 17.33) (P <.05)ConclusionThe addition of this type of instruction to supplement a traditional internal medicine rotation can enhance a learner's ability to perform joint/soft-tissue injection and aspiration.

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