Murphy Suzanne, Carey Emily, Dablouk Lena, Alomairi Jaifar, Maasarani Joy, Ong Jane Bsq, Gupta Khushboo, Sharma Riya Manas, McCracken Olivia, Shinyanbola Deborah, Alrujaib Abdulrahman, Sheridan Rebecca, Teixeira Leonardo Marta, O'Byrne George Paul, Rafiq Nazia, Mazarakis Nektarios, O'Brien David
Department of Neurosurgery, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
School of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
Brain Spine. 2024 Nov 12;4:104134. doi: 10.1016/j.bas.2024.104134. eCollection 2024.
'Neurophobia' is a well reported phenomenon in the literature where in medical students and junior doctors have an inherent nervousness or 'fear' of neurology and neurosurgery
Why do less medical students choose neurology and neurosurgery as a career and identify if neurophobia is an ingrained belief or learned behaviour?
We developed a questionnaire to assess medical student views and beliefs in connection with a career in neurosurgery. Specifically we examined the following domains: considering a career in neurology and neurosurgery, confidence with neuro anatomy and pathology, traits associated with neurosurgeons and neurologists and finally, their perceived barriers to a neuro career.
264 medical students completed the survey. Students from fourteen different medical schools across the world responded, with the highest number of students being from Irish medical schools. Over half of participants (58%) felt that neurology is an intimidating module and/or career choice while a huge 80% felt neurosurgery was an intimidating choice.We believe our research appears to be the first to open the survey to students across the world, with no limitations placed on region.
Neurophobia is not limited to any one geographical region, age group or gender. It appears to be mainly be driven by an intimidation of the complex nature of neuroanatomy and neuropathology. This negative perspective can be further enhanced when students go on to have a negative experience on clinical attachments.
“神经恐惧症”是文献中记载的一种现象，即医学生和初级医生对神经病学和神经外科存在内在的紧张情绪或“恐惧”。
为什么选择神经病学和神经外科作为职业的医学生较少，并确定神经恐惧症是一种根深蒂固的观念还是习得行为？
我们设计了一份问卷，以评估医学生对神经外科职业的看法和信念。具体而言，我们考察了以下几个方面：考虑从事神经病学和神经外科职业、对神经解剖学和病理学的信心、与神经外科医生和神经科医生相关的特质，以及最后他们认为从事神经科职业的障碍。
264名医学生完成了调查。来自世界各地14所不同医学院的学生做出了回应，其中来自爱尔兰医学院的学生人数最多。超过一半的参与者（58%）认为神经病学是一个令人生畏的模块和/或职业选择，而高达80%的人认为神经外科是一个令人生畏的选择。我们认为我们的研究似乎是首次向世界各地的学生展开调查，且没有地域限制。
神经恐惧症并不局限于任何一个地理区域、年龄组或性别。它似乎主要是由对神经解剖学和神经病理学复杂性的恐惧所驱动。当学生在临床实习中经历负面体验时，这种负面看法会进一步加剧。
