Undergraduate and Postgraduate Medical Education for Cerebrovascular Disease

Abstract

Background and Purpose There is a perception among some physicians that medical students and house officers receive little or no training in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cerebrovascular disease. However, there is a paucity of data addressing the issue of medical education in this area. This study was performed to determine the quantity and type of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education on cerebrovascular disease that is presented to medical students and house officers. Methods This was a prospective questionnaire study sent to 40 mainly academic medical centers in the United States and Canada. Data were collected on the percentage of programs offering stroke education, percentage of medical students and house officers taking such courses, and the duration of teaching programs. Results Sixty-one percent of the programs had dedicated stroke teaching efforts during clinical rotations, averaging a total of 13.1 hours of didactic and clinical teaching. Medical students received approximately 5 hours of preclinical stroke instruction. Only 35% of the programs offered stroke training for house officers in their internal medicine program. Most programs (81%) offered stroke conferences and computer-based instruction. Conclusions At some institutions, medical students received a modest amount of stroke education during their clinical rotations. However, almost 40% of programs did not have required stroke education programs for medical students. Most internal medicine programs that we surveyed did not have specific stroke education efforts for house officers. Increased educational efforts in this area may be indicated.