Department of Neurology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
Eur J Neurol. 2024 Dec;31(12):e16515. doi: 10.1111/ene.16515. Epub 2024 Oct 10.
Centers for training in autonomic nervous system (ANS) disorders are not widely available and the recent coronavirus 2019 pandemic temporarily reduced training opportunities in autonomic medicine across European countries. Here we evaluated the current state of education, clinical skills and postgraduate educational preferences on ANS disorders of European neurology residents and consultants.
A 23-item questionnaire was developed and distributed online amongst European neurology residents and consultants via mailing lists of the European Academy of Neurology. The questions assessed demographics, current training opportunities and learning preferences in ANS disorders. Six multiple-choice questions were used to self-evaluate knowledge of ANS disorders.
In all, 285 individuals answered the survey (60% female, mostly 25-34 years of age). All respondents considered clinical autonomic skills necessary for good clinical neurological practice, and 92% would like to increase their ANS knowledge. Female respondents and those who trained in Southern/Eastern/Greater Europe more frequently judged ANS skills important for clinical practice than male respondents (p = 0.012) and respondents from Northern/Western Europe (p = 0.011). Female and younger respondents felt less confident in managing ANS disorders (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001, respectively). Respondents below 45 years of age (p < 0.001) and those with lower confidence in managing ANS disorders (p = 0.004) were more likely to recommend that ANS education is embedded in the residency curriculum.
Most European neurology residents and consultants reported a need for more autonomic education, with additional gender, age and regional differences. These findings underscore the importance of increasing the educational content on autonomic medicine in European medical and postgraduate curricula.
自主神经系统（ANS）疾病培训中心并不广泛，最近的 2019 年冠状病毒大流行暂时减少了欧洲各国自主医学的培训机会。在这里，我们评估了欧洲神经病学住院医师和顾问对 ANS 疾病的当前教育、临床技能和研究生教育偏好。
开发了一个 23 项的问卷，并通过欧洲神经病学学院的邮件列表在线分发给欧洲的神经病学住院医师和顾问。这些问题评估了 ANS 疾病的人口统计学、当前培训机会和学习偏好。使用六个多项选择题来自我评估对 ANS 疾病的了解。
共有 285 人回答了调查（60%为女性，年龄主要在 25-34 岁之间）。所有受访者都认为临床自主技能对良好的临床神经科实践是必要的，92%的人希望增加他们对 ANS 的了解。女性受访者和那些在南/东/大欧洲接受培训的受访者比男性受访者（p=0.012）和来自北欧/西欧的受访者（p=0.011）更频繁地判断 ANS 技能对临床实践很重要。女性和年轻的受访者对管理 ANS 疾病的信心较低（p=0.001 和 p<0.001）。年龄在 45 岁以下的受访者（p<0.001）和对管理 ANS 疾病信心较低的受访者（p=0.004）更有可能建议将 ANS 教育纳入住院医师课程。
大多数欧洲神经病学住院医师和顾问报告说需要更多的自主教育，并且存在额外的性别、年龄和地区差异。这些发现强调了在欧洲医学和研究生课程中增加自主医学教育内容的重要性。
