Going Back to the Basics at the Bedside: Instituting Physical Exam Teaching Rounds to Improve Skills and Teaching in Residency

Background: Resident competence in physical exam skills is lacking. Despite the advantages technology has afforded modern medicine, the reliance on laboratory and radiologic data has contributed to a decline in bedside clinical skills. Multiple articles report that bedside teaching has declined, from once making up about 75% of clinical teaching in the 1960s to only 16% by 1978. Over time, residents have become less familiar with physical signs, causing them to place less importance on this part of patient care. Physical exam teaching in medical school is variable and few …