Neurophobia among undergraduate medical students: a European experience beyond the Anglosphere

Unveiling neurophobia: exploring factors influencing medical students, residents and non-neurologist physicians globally and its implications on neurology care - a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Neurophobia, the fear of neurology, is a recognised global challenge in medical education and practice. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify the prevalence of neurophobia among medical students, residents and non-neurologist physicians, identify contributing factors (including lack of basic science/clinical integration) and explore its implications for neurology care.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar for studies published between 2000 and 2024 reporting on neurophobia. Two independent reviewers screened the studies, extracted data and assessed their quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random effects meta-analysis was performed to estimate the pooled prevalence of neurophobia. Heterogeneity and publication bias were tested statistically.

Results

Of the initial 1245 studies, 32 met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of neurophobia was 47.2% (95% CI: 39.8% to 54.6%), with significant heterogeneity (I²=98.7%, p<0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed a higher prevalence among medical students (52.3%, 95% CI: 44.1% to 60.5%) than residents and physicians (41.9%, 95% CI: 33.7% to 50.1%). Key contributing factors included the perceived complexity of neurology (OR: 3.2, 95% CI: 2.7 to 3.8) and inadequate exposure during training (OR: 2.8, 95% CI: 2.3 to 3.3). Individuals with neurophobia were less likely to consider a career in neurology (OR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.25 to 0.41).

Conclusions

Neurophobia affects a substantial proportion of medical trainees and practitioners globally, with variation across education and practice levels. Addressing contributing factors through targeted interventions may help mitigate neurophobia and improve neurological care. Further studies should focus on specific interventions.

Effectiveness of the application of small private online course combined with PBL model based on massive open online course in the teaching of neurology

BACKGROUND

Due to the complex and abstract anatomy of the nervous system, neurology has become a difficult subject for students of clinical disciplines. It is imperative to develop new teaching methods to improve students' enthusiasm for learning this course. Small private online courses (SPOC) combined with problem based learning (PBL) blended teaching models based on massive open online course (MOOC) provides a new direction for future neurology teaching reform. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of applying SPOC combined with PBL in neurology teaching.

METHODS

This study was conducted during the 2020 intake of undergraduate students at the Second Hospital and Clinical Medical School, Lanzhou University. A total of 48 students were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned to either a Lecture-Based Learning (LBL) group or a SPOC + PBL group, with 24 participants in each group. After the classes, comparisons were made between the two groups in terms of teaching methods, increases in learning interest, level of participation in learning, satisfaction, and closed-book unit test scores.

RESULTS

The average unit test score of the SPOC + PBL group was 84.29 ± 1.65, the average score of LBL group was 77.0 ± 1.92. The difference in average scores between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.01). The proportion of students with 91-100 points in SPOC + PBL group was higher than that of LBL group, and the difference was statistically significant, P < 0.01. Student satisfaction survey in the SPOC + PBL group was significantly higher than that in the LBL group, P < 0.01.

CONCLUSIONS

The application of SPOC combined with PBL teaching based on MOOC in neurology teaching may be more effective than traditional LBL model. It is expected to help medical students overcome the "fear" of learning neurological diseases, improve the teaching effect of neurology courses, and meet the needs of modern medical education by employing a hybrid course structure and adopting a problem-oriented approach.

Neurophobia among resident physicians in the emergency service

INTRODUCTION

Neurophobia is defined as the fear towards clinical neurology caused by the inability to apply theoretical knowledge to practical clinical situations. This phenomenon is not restricted to medical students and has never been studied before in the Emergency Department. We aimed to study how resident doctors perceive their knowledge in neurology and urgent neurological conditions as well as possible causes for said fears.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Cross-sectional multicentric study using self-administered surveys sent to medical residents within the Aragon Health Service. They were questioned about their fear of neurology and other medical specialties, possible causes, and perception of knowledge in neurological pathologies and subareas in the emergency service.

RESULTS

We obtained 134 responses. 27.6% (37) suffered from neurophobia. Despite neurology being considered the most difficult discipline, it did also arouse the third most interest among the students. The areas where they showed the most confidence were headaches and vascular pathology. The areas where they felt the most insecure were neuromuscular diseases, neuro-ophthalmology, and spinal cord injury. In none of the areas surveyed, the percentage of respondents who felt secure exceeded 50%.

CONCLUSIONS

Neurophobia is prevalent among trainee doctors working in the emergency department. Their confidence correlates with the degree of exposure to patients. Neurologist must play an active role in the education of new specialist and promote the collaboration with emergency departments.