Assessment of the Current State of Sports Coverage Participation, Training, and Confidence Ratings among Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residents and Residency Programs

Abstract

Abstract A significant proportion of physical medicine and rehabilitation residents are pursuing sports medicine-related fellowships and are recommended to participate in sports coverage during residency training. The purpose of this article is to assess the current state of sports coverage participation, training, and confidence ratings among physical medicine and rehabilitation residents and residency programs. Physical medicine and rehabilitation residents from Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited programs were invited to participate in a nationwide cross-sectional survey. A total of 90 resident responses from 43 programs were included. Residents from 91% of represented programs indicated that sports coverage opportunities were available. At least one resident from 63% of represented programs and 50% of responding residents reported sports coverage training during residency. Sports coverage confidence ratings were higher in 91% of topics among residents who received training. The results of this study indicate that sports coverage opportunities are common among physical medicine and rehabilitation residencies, and while sports coverage training is variable, a positive correlation with confidence ratings was identified.