Title : Combatting “Neurophobia”: A proposed educational model to promote “Neurophilia”
Abstract:
When we reflect on medical education as a whole, novelty in structure and content promotes growth and enhances student outcomes. The teaching of neurology is no different and presents a more unique hurdle in its instruction considering the well-described phenomenon of “neurophobia”. With the burden of neurological diseases on the rise, there is a heightened demand on medical educators to understand the possible causes of this educational misalignment and implement solutions necessary to ensure adequate education of students. Here, we describe a novel approach to neurology education for 2nd year medical students to stimulate "neurophilia", incorporating evidence-based approaches within the identified areas—Active Learning Pedagogies, Diagnostic and Clinical Reasoning, Use of Technology, Field Exposure and Mentorship, and Innovation. Students demonstrated superior academic performance on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) neurology assessments, and general positive feedback to the use of the innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Overall, we propose this method of teaching neurology as a successful model educational platform that incorporates the areas needed to reduce “neurophobia” and promote “neurophilia”.
Audience Take Away
By the end of this presentation, you should be able to:
- Define the educational phenomenon of “neurophobia”
- Explain the four areas promoting “neurophobia” and the five evidence-based interventions that can be used to generate “neurophilia”
- Understand how the proposed model addresses the problems surrounding “neurophobia” and provides solutions
- Assess the adaptability of the model and the principles presented within to implement into different medical school curricula
