Publication details

Autonomic nervous system education in Europe: EAN/EFAS/INUS survey on curricula and skills in autonomic medicine of European neurology residents and consultants

Authors	REIS-CARNEIRO Diogo SKORIC Magdalena Krbot HABEK Mario ADAMEC Ivan CALANDRA-BUONAURA Giovanna CORTELLI Pietro GERT van Dijk J FALUP-PECURARIU Cristian GUARALDI Pietro HILZ Max J IODICE Valeria JORDAN Jens ROCHA Isabel STRUHAL Walter TERKELSEN Astrid Juhl THIJS Roland TIJERO Beatriz BERGER Thomas REKTOROVÁ Irena MORO Elena TRAON Anne Pavy-Le WENNING Gregor PANICKER Jalesh N FANCIULLI Alessandra
Year of publication	2024
Type	Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source	European Journal of Neurology
MU Faculty or unit	Faculty of Medicine
Citation
Web	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ene.16515?af=R
Doi	http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ene.16515
Keywords	autonomic nervous system disorders; clinical neurology; medical education; residency program
Description	Background and purpose: 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. Methods: 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. Results: 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. Conclusions: 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.