# Procedural skills workshops for primary care physicians in Israel: a comprehensive analysis

## TL;DR

This study examines a program that trained primary care physicians in Israel on manual procedures and found that some skills, like dry needling, were used more frequently than others.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on the uptake and usage of procedural skills among primary care physicians after training.

## Key findings

- 620 PCPs participated in workshops covering dry needling, injections, BPPV treatment, minor surgery, and spirometry.
- Dry needling and minor surgical procedures were the most frequently performed procedures by PCPs.
- The average annual use per physician was highest for dry needling (50.9) and lowest for BPPV treatment (7.5).

## Abstract

Some of the most common complaints addressed by primary care physicians (PCPs) require manual procedures, such as lacerations repair, abscesses drainage, ingrown toenails removal, dry needling for myofascial pain syndrome, and Epley maneuver for treating benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). The aim of this study was to describe the procedural skills workshops program for PCPs implemented in Maccabi Healthcare Services and to investigate how many PCPs have participated and used the skills since the program’s inception in 2017.

In this observational study, we followed all participants in courses from 2017 to 2021. We extracted all procedures performed during these years by PCPs who learned the skill in MHS.

During the study period, 620 PCPs participated in workshops for dry needling, soft-tissue and joint injections, BPPV treatment, minor surgical procedures, and spirometry. Most procedures performed were dry needling (average annual number 3,537) and minor surgical procedures (average annual number 361). The average annual use per physician was highest for dry needling (annual average use per physician who used the learned skill was 50.9), followed by soft tissue and joint injections (16.8), minor surgical procedures (14.8), and BPPV treatment (7.5).

procedural skills workshops may expand PCPs’ therapeutic arsenal, thus empowering PCPs and providing more comprehensive care for patients. Some manual skills, such as dry needling, soft tissue injections, and the Epley maneuver, were more likely to be used by participants than other skills, such as spirometry and soft tissue injections.