# Bridging the educational gap: a pilot study of integrating patient-reported outcome into orthopedic residency training

## TL;DR

This study shows that adding patient-reported outcomes to orthopedic residency training improves knowledge and attitudes among residents.

## Contribution

The study introduces a structured curriculum for teaching patient-reported outcomes in orthopedic residency training.

## Key findings

- Residents in the experimental group scored significantly higher on post-training PRO knowledge tests.
- The experimental group showed greater interest and satisfaction with the reformed curriculum.
- The curriculum had a statistically significant positive impact on residents' medical cognition.

## Abstract

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) is vital for assessing treatment efficacy, yet they have not been systematically incorporated into most medical curricula. This pilot study evaluated the feasibility and impact of a PRO curriculum on orthopedic and joint surgery residents’ knowledge and attitudes.

Fifty orthopedic and joint surgery resident trainees undergoing standardized training at a teaching hospital from January 2025 to May 2025 were divided into two groups: the PRO teaching reform experimental group (Experimental group) and the traditional model teaching group (Control group). The PRO teaching reform experimental group (n = 25) received a structured PRO curriculum alongside standard training, while the traditional model teaching group (n = 25) received traditional standard training alongside remedial training. Both groups completed pre- and post-training PRO knowledge tests (0–100 scale) and Likert-scale feedback surveys. Despite their established clinical and research utility, a significant educational gap persists.

Despite similar baseline PRO knowledge (p = 0.45), the experimental group scored significantly higher on the post-training test than the control group (70.56 ± 5.89 vs. 58.68 ± 4.72, p < 0.001). Additionally, the experimental group expressed greater interest in the reformed curriculum (3.36 ± 0.86 vs. 2.88 ± 0.78, p = 0.04), higher satisfaction with the PRO content (3.72 ± 0.54 vs. 3.32 ± 0.63, p = 0.02), stronger agreement with the inclusion of PRO in medical intervention evaluations (3.76 ± 0.44 vs. 3.44 ± 0.59, p = 0.03), and a deeper impact on their medical cognition (3.80 ± 0.41 vs. 3.48 ± 0.59, p = 0.03), all with statistically significant differences.

This pilot study demonstrated that the structured PRO curriculum was feasible to implement and significantly improved knowledge and attitudes among orthopedic residents. These findings support integrating PRO into surgical training and warrant larger trials to assess impact on clinical practice.