(16) Assessing Residents’ Knowledge of Dysmenorrhea in Adolescents and Young Adults

Background: Our study sought to better understand residents’ knowledge of diagnosis and treatment of primary and secondary dysmenorrhea in adolescents and young adults and whether that knowledge could be improved by a brief educational intervention.

Methods: Residents in the Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pediatrics programs at the Medical University of South Carolina completed a pre-lecture survey, attended a focused lecture on dysmenorrhea, and completed a post-lecture survey. The average percent correct for the pre- and post-lecture surveys was compared.

Results: Twenty-three residents completed both the pre- and post-lecture surveys. The average score on the pre-lecture survey was 72% and the average score on the post-lecture survey was 92% (p < 0.05). Post-graduate year positively correlated with pre-lecture survey score, with PGY-1 through PGY-4 residents averaging 65%, 72%, 79%, and 82%, respectively, on the pre-lecture survey.

Conclusions: We found that an hour-long lecture resulted in a statistically significant improvement in survey scores, suggesting that a brief educational intervention can improve both comfort with and knowledge of the clinical management of these conditions. We also found that post-graduate year (PGY) positively correlated with pre-test score, suggesting that dysmenorrhea is something residents receive clinical exposure to during training and emphasizing the need for foundational education during resident didactics.