Medical student education in neurosurgery: optional or essential?

Issue: Current medical school curricula emphasize general practice principles, and this has led predictably to increasingly limited exposure to subspecialties, including neurosurgery. However, a significant amount of neurosurgical disease and/or emergencies present in primary care settings or emergency rooms. In light of an already acknowledged shortage of neurosurgery providers, this means that general practitioners should be well educated and prepared to diagnose and manage neurosurgical disease. Considering the devastating consequences of a missed or delayed neurosurgical diagnosis, limiting future physicians' exposure to the field of neurosurgery is not in the best interests of the patient.

Evidence: In this article, the authors review and discuss the results of several studies investigating the prevalence, presentation, diagnosis, and management of neurosurgical disease in emergency and general practice settings. They then discuss the current status of neurosurgical education in medical schools, both from the educators' and students' perspectives, and how this status might impact patient care. Finally, they offer suggestions for the improvement of neurosurgical education during medical school.

Implications: Despite being considered highly subspecialized, neurosurgical diagnosis and care is a field in which all physicians should receive proper education and training. To properly serve patients and produce competent physicians, steps should be taken to re-emphasize the importance of neurosurgical education for medical students.