CleftED: A National Collaborative Study of Undergraduate Education and Exposure to Cleft lip and Palate Within the United Kingdom

Abstract

Introduction Cleft Lip and/or Palate (CLP) are the most common congenital orofacial anomalies. Those involved in CLP care may extend beyond the core members of the Cleft multidisciplinary team (MDT) with a variety of medical healthcare professionals destined to contribute to the management of CLP patients at some point during their respective careers. Therefore, it seems essential that a basic understanding of CLP, CLP-associated problems, and potential avenues for direct or indirect involvement in CLP care be introduced at undergraduate level. Aims To investigate penultimate and final year undergraduate medical student CLP knowledge and exposure obtained whilst at medical school. Methodology An online questionnaire was distributed to penultimate and final year medical students throughout the UK. Results A total of 3102 responses were received from 35 medical schools. 44.3% (n  =  1374) of respondents had no exposure to CLP teaching up until their current year of education. 61.3% (n  =  1903) of respondents had never been involved in the care of a CLP patient. 53.6% (n  =  1662) of respondents were not confident in their current knowledge of CLP. 78.5% (n  =  2257) of respondents indicated a desire to be involved in the care of CLP patients in their future career. Conclusion More than half of the medical student survey respondents were not confident in their current knowledge of CLP and had limited involvement in CLP care. This may translate to a delay in diagnosis when students qualify. Improving CLP education and exposure during undergraduate training can help achieve national CLP standards for early diagnosis.