Core skills in musculoskeletal care for clinicians

Each year 20% of the general population consult a GP with a musculoskeletal problem such as arthritis. Despite these conditions contributing a significant part of a GP’s workload many GP Specialist Trainees (GPST) currently do not receive formal training in musculoskeletal problems during their vocational training.

To address this skills gap, Arthritis Research UK has funded and jointly developed with The Royal College of General Practitioners the Core skills in musculoskeletal care programme.

About the courses
Core skills in musculoskeletal care is an education package consisting of e-learning modules and a musculoskeletal impact toolkit containing practical resources enabling GPs and other healthcare professionals to demonstrate the impact of their learning on improving patient care.

The course emphasises a consistent clinical approach – effective history-taking, simple examination, making and explaining diagnosis and forming an appropriate management plan – using clinical examples to demonstrate different aspects of care.

Training covers the approach to the MSK patient, general assessment of MSK conditions, osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis, gout, polymyalgia rheumatica, fibromyalgia, spinal conditions and common upper and lower limb conditions.

This course is FREE to all healthcare professionals.
Start Musculoskeletal Care
Time to complete this course: 4.5 hours
Date of publication: February 2013

Musculoskeletal Disorders in Primary Care
Written by experts in the fields of musculoskeletal medicine and rheumatology, this comprehensive book looks at presentations, treatment, current guidelines on management and when to refer onwards to specialist care. RCGP Bookshop Musculoskeletal Disorders in Primary Care

Read the RCGP curriculum statement PDF for the care of people with musculoskeletal problems

Continue reading in Royal College of General Practitioners

Also see
Arthritis Research UK GP Area
Centre for Rehabilitation Research in Oxford