INTRODUCTION: Clinicians rarely screen their patients for musculoskeletal disorders during routing physical examination. Reasons vary, but inadequate teaching of musculoskeletal medicine is cited as a major factor. To address the above issue, the Section of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Philippine General Hospital, University of the Philippines Manila recently adopted the Gait, Arms, Legs and Spine Locomotor Screen (GALS) as the central focus of instruction for musculoskeletal conditions.
OBJECTIVES: A total of 189 medical interns participated in this descriptive study to determine whether GALS is deemed useful and can be readily applied in the outpatient clinics.
METHODS: Data was gathered using a questionnaire, key informant interviews, and chart review. The data was analyzed using measures of central tendency, percentages and qualitative evaluation.
RESULTS: Only 26% claimed to routinely perform the musculoskeletal screening examination and only 21% claimed they used the GALS technique. The medical interns emphasized that they were adequately taught to perform the GALS technique but felt that the routine of GALS was time consuming. Emphasis on musculoskeletal screening was done only during clinical rotations in specialties like rheumatology, rehabilitation medicine or orthopedics, but not in other specialties. In addition, only the Section of Rheumatology used the GALS technique.
CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that while medical interns feel competent in performing the GALS technique, its application in the clinics leaves much room for emphasis and that there is a need to standardize instruction on musculoskeletal screening.