SUMMARY
Sherilyn W. Driscoll, M.D., explores clinical research of musculoskeletal and neurological conditions in children and adolescents treated by pediatric rehabilitation medicine professionals. She contributes to studies involving Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Friedreich ataxia, low back pain, swallowing disorders and plagiocephaly.
Dr. Driscoll has written review articles on topics such as osteogenesis imperfecta, musculoskeletal consequences of neuromuscular conditions, exercise in children with and without disability, management of spasticity, postural orthostatic tachycardia, and inflammatory arthritis. In addition, she has interest in the training, certification and well-being of physical medicine and rehabilitation professionals to ensure that healthcare systems are developing the best possible physiatrists to care for people.
Focus areas
- Tasks and knowledge for pediatric rehabilitation. Dr. Driscoll initiated a national study of the tasks and knowledge needed for pediatric rehabilitation professionals to best care for children. This is called a practice analysis. The results determined the content for updated initial and continuing board certification examinations for all pediatric rehabilitation medicine doctors. Dr. Driscoll has conducted other studies related to the practice of pediatric physiatry.
- Successful and unsuccessful physical medicine and rehabilitation professionals. Dr. Driscoll has participated in a series of studies examining the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful physical medicine and rehabilitation professionals. Her team recently evaluated whether the type of internship physicians participate in affects their performance on board exams. Other studies have looked at patient safety related to continuing certification, the risks of disciplinary action in healthcare professionals, whether taking a break during residency training affects board examination scores and other traits.
- Bias in healthcare professionals. In collaboration with a group of national researchers, Dr. Driscoll is working toward identifying whether healthcare professional bias affects care of children with cerebral palsy and other childhood conditions.
Significance to patient care
Research related to improving the process of board certification assures members of the public that their healthcare teams provide them with the most up-to-date care. Providing excellent care for rehabilitation individuals is the goal of every physical medicine and rehabilitation professional. The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation strives to serve the public by improving the quality of patient care in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This improvement in quality care is reached through a process of initial and continuing certification that encourages professional excellence and a culture of lifelong learning. Dr. Driscoll has worked with this board for years to continuously improve the certification process for physicians, thus nationally impacting patient quality of care.