Chi-Hung Liu: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Li-Ling Hsu: Department of Nursing, Oriental Institute of Technology, New Taipei, Taiwan.
Cheng-Ting Hsiao: Department of Emergency Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chiayi, Taiwan, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Suh-Ing Hsieh: Department of Nursing, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology and Department of Nursing, Taoyuan Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Chun-Wei Chang: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Elaine Shinwei Huang: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
Yeu-Jhy Chang: Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou Medical Center, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
BACKGROUND: With the evolution of treatments for neurological diseases, the contents of core neurological examinations (NEs) for medical students may need to be modified. We aimed to establish a consensus on the core NE items for neurology clerks and compare viewpoints between different groups of panelists. METHODS: First, a pilot group proposed the core contents of NEs for neurology clerks. The proposed core NE items were then subject to a modified web-based Delphi process using the online software "SurveyMonkey". A total of 30 panelists from different backgrounds (tutors or learners, neurologists or non-neurologists, community hospitals or medical centers, and different academic positions) participated in the modified Delphi process. Each panelist was asked to agree or disagree on the inclusion of each item using a 9-point Likert scale and was encouraged to provide feedback. We also compared viewpoints between different groups of panelists using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Eighty-three items were used for the first round of the Delphi process. Of them, 18 without consensus of being a core NE item for the neurology clerks in the first round and another 14 items suggested by the panelists were further discussed in the second round. Finally, 75 items with different grades were included in the recommended NE items for neurology clerks. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide a reference regarding the core NE items for milestone development for neurology clerkships. We hope that prioritizing the NE items in this order can help medical students to learn NE more efficiently.
References
BMC Med Res Methodol. 2011 Dec 23;11:174
[PMID: 22196011]
