Rheumatology teaching in Australia: the need for review

In 1981, questionnaires seeking information about the teaching of medicine in general, and rheumatology in particular, were sent to random samples of undergraduates in Australian medical schools and trainees in the Family Medicine Programme (FMP) of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Neurology rated most highly, with the majority of undergraduates considering it to be well taught and interesting; by contrast, rheumatology was perceived as being badly taught and lacking in interest. Many graduates had never attended rheumatology outpatient clinics either as undergraduates (45%) or as FMP trainees (68%). Only 40% of the graduates had ever been attached to a rheumatology inpatient service, and fewer than 50% had received any teaching about the role of physiotherapists or occupational therapists in the management of patients with arthritis.