Exploring the key factors behind neurophobia: A systematic review of the English, Spanish and Portuguese literature

Moreno-Zambrano, Daniel; Sandrone, Stefano; Meza-Venegas, Joyce; Jimenez, J.M. Martin; Freire-Bonifacini, Angelina; Santibáñez-Vásquez, Rocío; García-Santibáñez, Rocío

doi:10.1016/j.dscb.2021.100011

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…27 Neurosurgical conferences and skills events also facilitate conversations with senior clinicians that can potentially help demystify an area of the medical school curriculum that is perceived by many students to be one of the most challenging and daunting. 28,29 Discussions with facilitators improved the students' understanding of a neurosurgeon's roles, responsibilities, and day-to-day tasks, and thus helped to perhaps dispel some of the angst students may feel toward the specialty.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)—Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students

Hutton,

Ashraf,

Sescu

et al. 2024

Asian J Neurosurg

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Background Neurosurgery can be a daunting career choice for medical students, with preparation for trainee application often being inaccessible and expensive. This article describes a student-led neurosurgical skills event supported by local neurosurgery faculty members. Such event was designed to offer a means to bridge this gap by providing an opportunity to practice neurosurgical techniques in simulation, and learn about what a career in neurosurgery involves. Methods Pre- and postskills laboratory surveys were used to ascertain the baseline confidence and knowledge of common neurosurgical techniques, as well as to what both the application to neurosurgery and the typical workload of a neurosurgeon involves. The conference offered six neurosurgical workshops as well as three lectures to provide practical and theoretical learning opportunities. The session included introduction to the candidates and faculty, identification of learning objectives, and career discussion. Postcourse feedback also was also used to assess learning outcomes. Results Eighteen students attended the event. Postskills event, students were significantly more likely to understand the principles behind all of the relevant neurosurgical skills included on the day. Additionally, students were more likely to understand what a career in neurosurgery involves, and how to approach applying for a training number. Respondents enjoyed the workshops, valued hands-on experience and interactions with consultants, found it affordable, and would recommend to their peers. Conclusions For medical students interested in a career in neurosurgery, opportunities to learn relevant techniques and skills are often expensive and difficult to come across. Here, we highlight affordable methods of simulation to result in significant student satisfaction. Additionally, providing ample opportunity to practice different neurosurgical techniques under almost 1:1 level tutoring enables significant increases in students' confidence and understanding of different neurosurgical concepts. We greatly encourage other medical student groups to develop their own hands-on simulation events to attract medical students to a surgical field often considered daunting and inaccessible, and address gaps in the medical school curriculum.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)—Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students

Hutton,

Ashraf,

Sescu

et al. 2024

Asian J Neurosurg

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“…28,29 This perception is partly rooted in inadequate preclinical teaching and limited clinical exposure. 28,29 Following the workshop, 82% of participants (►Fig. 3) felt it had positively impacted their perception of neurosurgery.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…“Neurophobia” is a term used to describe the fear and lack of confidence felt by medical students and doctors toward neural sciences, including clinical neurology and neurosurgery. 28 29 Neurophobia has been extensively studied and is attributed to the perceived difficulty of clinical neurosciences, often considered the most challenging component of the medical curriculum. 28 29 This perception is partly rooted in inadequate preclinical teaching and limited clinical exposure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Shaping Perceptions and Inspiring Future Neurosurgeons: The Value of a Hands-On Simulated Aneurysm Clipping Workshops at a Student-Organized Neurosurgical Conference

Ashraf,

Ismahel,

Shah

et al. 2024

Asian J Neurosurg

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Objective Early exposure to niche specialities, like neurosurgery, is essential to inform decisions about future training in these specialities. This study assesses the impact of a hands-on simulated aneurysm clipping workshop on medical students' and junior doctors' perceptions of neurosurgery at a student-organized neurosurgical conference. Methods Ninety-six delegates were sampled from a hands-on workshop involving hydrogel three-dimensional printed aneurysms clipping using surgical microscopes. Consultant neurosurgeons facilitated the workshop. Changes in delegates' perceptions of neurosurgery were collected using Likert scale and free-text responses postconference. Results Postworkshop, 82% of participants reported a positive impact on their perception of neurosurgery. Thematic analysis revealed that delegates valued the hands-on experience, exposure to microsurgery, and interactions with consultant neurosurgeons. Thirty-six of the 96 delegates (37.5%) expressed that the workshop dispelled preconceived fears surrounding neurosurgery and improved understanding of a neurosurgeon's day-to-day tasks. Several delegates initially apprehensive about neurosurgery were now considering it as a career. Conclusion Hands-on simulated workshops can effectively influence medical students' and junior doctors' perceptions of neurosurgery, providing valuable exposure to the specialty. By providing a valuable and immersive introduction to the specialty, these workshops can help to dispel misconceptions, fears, and apprehensions associated with neurosurgery, allowing them to consider the specialty to a greater degree than before. This study of a one-time workshop cannot effectively establish its long-term impact on said perceptions, however.

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“…Neuroanatomy has been reported to induce fear and difficulties among medical students, as neuroanatomical concepts are considered more complex and difficult to understand relative to other anatomy topics (Javaid et al., 2018). This phenomenon, often termed “neurophobia” (Abulaban et al., 2015; Sotgiu et al., 2020; Moreno‐Zambrano et al., 2021), can be at least partially ameliorated by new pedagogical approaches that are aimed to create interactive and engaging learning environments and increase students' motivation and curiosity. These include problem‐based learning (PBL), computer‐assisted learning (CAL), and self‐guided learning (Mourad et al., 2016).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuroanatomy in virtual reality: Development and pedagogical evaluation of photogrammetry‐based 3D brain models

Aridan,

Bernstein‐Eliav,

Gamzo

et al. 2023

Anatomical Sciences Ed

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Anatomy studies are an essential part of medical training. The study of neuroanatomy in particular presents students with a unique challenge of three‐dimensional spatial understanding. Virtual Reality (VR) has been suggested to address this challenge, yet the majority of previous reports have implemented computer‐generated or imaging‐based models rather than models of real brain specimens. Using photogrammetry of real human bodies and advanced editing software, we developed 3D models of a real human brain at different stages of dissection. Models were placed in a custom‐built virtual laboratory, where students can walk around freely, explore, and manipulate (i.e., lift the models, rotate them for different viewpoints, etc.). Sixty participants were randomly assigned to one of three learning groups: VR, 3D printed models or read‐only, and given 1 h to study the white matter tracts of the cerebrum, followed by theoretical and practical exams and a learning experience questionnaire. We show that following self‐guided learning in virtual reality, students demonstrate a gain in spatial understanding and an increased satisfaction with the learning experience, compared with traditional learning approaches. We conclude that the models and virtual lab described in this work may enhance learning experience and improve learning outcomes.

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Exploring the key factors behind neurophobia: A systematic review of the English, Spanish and Portuguese literature

Cited by 19 publications

References 45 publications

Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)—Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students

Dundee Annual Neurosurgery Skills Event (DANSE)—Improving the Availability and Affordability of Neurosurgical Skills Workshops for Medical Students

Shaping Perceptions and Inspiring Future Neurosurgeons: The Value of a Hands-On Simulated Aneurysm Clipping Workshops at a Student-Organized Neurosurgical Conference

Neuroanatomy in virtual reality: Development and pedagogical evaluation of photogrammetry‐based 3D brain models

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