A Scoping Review: Mapping the Evidence for Undergraduate Concussion Education and Proposing the Content for Medical Student Concussion Teaching.

Gardner, Nick; Heron, Neil

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Concussion is a common yet complex condition, with each new case requiring assessment by a medical doctor. Recent research has shown that doctors working in the UK have significant knowledge deficits regarding concussion diagnosis and management. AIM: The aim of this scoping review was to map out the evidence about how undergraduate medical students are being educated about concussion. METHOD: This scoping review involved seven research papers identified by searching five online databases in October 2020. Search terms relevant to concussion included: brain injuries, post-concussion syndrome, brain concussion and concussion, combined with search criteria for undergraduate education: medical students, undergraduate medical education, or curriculum. RESULTS: All seven papers were published in North America, with five papers recruiting medical students from single institutions (n = 590) and two papers surveying universities. Canadian medical schools have shown an upward trend in the quantity of teaching about concussion-specific teaching: from 0.57 to 2.65 h between 2012 and 2018. Lectures were the commonest mode of delivery of teaching, followed by problem-based learning and clinical rotations. The studies reach a common conclusion that medical students are not being adequately prepared for diagnosing and managing concussion, with insufficient undergraduate teaching, particularly exposure during clinical rotations, cited as the cause. CONCLUSIONS: Concussion: education of medical students is inadequate in North America. Medical schools should help address this by providing lectures and clinical presentations on concussion to learn from, particularly via problem-based learning. There is a paucity of evidence about concussion education in other geographical areas.

Citation

Gardner, N., & Heron, N. (2022). A Scoping Review: Mapping the Evidence for Undergraduate Concussion Education and Proposing the Content for Medical Student Concussion Teaching. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074328

• Acceptance Date: Mar 22, 2022
• Publication Date: Apr 4, 2022
• Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Publisher: MDPI
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19074328
• Keywords: concussion, education, medical student, knowledge, scoping review
• Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/7/4328/htm