Developing a Curriculum for Functional Neurological Disorder in Neurology Training: Questions and Answers.

Functional neurologic disorder (FND) is a common condition for which neurology residents often receive little to no formal teaching. Using a question-and-answer format, this article puts forward a case for why an FND curriculum is needed and aims to provide guidance on possible curricular content including medical knowledge, clinical skills, communication, and team-based collaboration. The authors also discuss methods for teaching and evaluating this knowledge and associated clinical skills, linking this to current Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education neurology milestones. Finally, the authors consider how to better engage and energize neurology trainees around this underserved yet challenging patient population.

What's in Your Nomogram? Personalized Prognostication of Verbal Memory Decline after Temporal Lobe Resection in Adults With Epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop and externally validate models to predict the probability of postoperative verbal memory decline in adults following temporal lobe resection (TLR) for epilepsy using easily accessible preoperative clinical predictors. METHODS: Multivariable models were developed to predict delayed verbal memory outcome on 3 commonly used measures: Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT), and Logical Memory (LM), and Verbal Paired Associates (VPA) subtests from Wechsler Memory Scale-Third Edition. Using Harrell's step-down procedure for variable selection, models were developed in 359 adults who underwent TLR at Cleveland Clinic and validated in 290 adults at 1 of 5 epilepsy surgery centers in the United States or Canada. RESULTS: Twenty-nine percent of the development cohort and 26% of the validation cohort demonstrated significant decline on at least 1 verbal memory measure. Initial models had good-to-excellent predictive accuracy (calibration (c) statistic range = .77-.80) in identifying patients with memory decline; however, models slightly underestimated decline in the validation cohort. Model coefficients were updated using data from both cohorts to improve stability. The model for RAVLT included surgery side, baseline memory score, and hippocampal resection. The models for LM and VPA included surgery side, baseline score, and education. Updated model performance was good to excellent (RAVLT c = .81, LM c = .76, VPA c = .78). Model calibration was very good, indicating no systematic over- or under-estimation of risk. CONCLUSIONS: Nomograms are provided in 2 easy-to-use formats to assist clinicians in estimating the probability of verbal memory decline in adults considering TLR for treatment of epilepsy.

A national survey of Neurology Vice Chairs For Education.

OBJECTIVES: A growing number of Neurology Departments have appointed a Neurology Vice Chair for Education (NVCE), yet the roles and responsibilities of an NVCE have not been previously described in the literature. METHODS: A group of current NVCEs developed a survey that was sent to all NVCEs in the US via a secure, anonymous survey. Questions included roles and responsibilities, sources of support, metrics to determine success, faculty development, basic demographics and education scholarship engagement. RESULTS: Response rate was 27 of 45 NVCEs (60%). Among the respondents, 70% have been in the role 5 years or less and the NVCE role existed for 5 years or less in 60% of departments. Eighteen percent were provided with a written job description, and 63% never received any job description. Most common responsibilities included overseeing student (78%), resident (78%), and fellowship (74%) education, participation in education section of an annual report (67%) and oversight of education scholarship (59%). Fifty-two percent reported no specific funding for the NVCE role. Most were prior program directors (59%), male (61%) and White (85%). CONCLUSIONS: The NVCE role is new, and few have written job descriptions or specific funding for the role. They oversee education across the continuum of learners in their departments, communicate the education mission in an annual report and oversee educational scholarship. Most were not formally trained for the role and previously served in other education leadership roles. These data will be useful to programs in creating job descriptions and goals for the NVCE role.

Randomized Study of Bedside vs Hallway Rounding: Neurology Rounding Study.

Over the last century, attending rounds have shifted away from the bedside. Despite evidence for greater patient satisfaction rates and improved nursing perception of teamwork with bedside presentations, residents and attending physicians are apprehensive of the bedside approach. There is lack of data to guide rounding practices within neurology, and therefore, optimal rounding methods remain unclear. The objective of this study was to compare bedside rounding with hallway rounding on an academic neurology inpatient service and assess efficiency, trainee education, and satisfaction among patients and staff. We conducted a single-center prospective randomized study of bedside vs hallway rounding on new inpatient neurology admissions over 1-week blocks. The bedside team presented patients at the bedside, whereas the hallway team presented patients outside of the patient's room. We evaluated the 2 approaches with time-motion analysis, which investigated the rounding style's effect on composition and timing of rounds (primary outcome) and surveys of patients, nurses, residents, and attending physicians on both teams (secondary outcomes). The mean rounding time per newly admitted patient in the bedside group (n = 38 patients) and hallway group (n = 41 patients) was 23 minutes and 23.2 minutes, respectively (p = 0.93). The bedside group spent on average 56.4% of patient rounding time in the patient's room, whereas the hallway group spent 39.5% of rounding time in the patient's room (p = 0.036). Residents perceived hallway rounding to be more efficient and associated it with a superior educational experience and more effective data review. Nurses had improved perception of their participation in bedside rounds. Although patients' views of bedside and hallway rounds were similar, patients who had experienced bedside rounds preferred it. In conclusion, bedside rounding was perceived less favorably by most residents but was as efficient as hallway rounding. Although bedside rounding limited the use of technology for data review, it promoted nursing participation and resulted in more time spent with the patient. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: Registered retrospectively per the editors' suggestion (NCT04754828).

Identifying and Analyzing Systems Failures: An Interactive, Experiential Learning Approach to Quality Improvement for Clerkship-Level Medical Students.

Introduction: Medical students are positioned to observe, document, and explore opportunities to improve patient safety and quality in their institutions. Medical schools are introducing quality improvement (QI) knowledge and skills in the preclinical classrooms, yet few provide opportunities to apply these tools in the clinical setting. Methods: Clerkship students participated in two 1-hour sessions, organized in groups of 12-15 students, led by faculty with QI expertise. The sessions in the module introduced core concepts in QI and patient safety, while drawing on students' own clinical experiences. Students identified a system failure they encountered in their own clinical setting/practice and analyzed contributing factors using the 5 Whys Tool. We evaluated the efficacy of the two-session module with a pre- and postsurvey of students' self-reported change in knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Surveys also assessed students' satisfaction with module content and format. Faculty perspectives were solicited by email. Results: In April-May 2019, 59 students at a large US medical school participated. Of students, 73% and 53% completed pre- and postsurveys, respectively. All students submitted a report of an identified systems failure and their analysis of contributing factors. Students' self-rated knowledge and skills increased significantly. Students preferred active engagement compared to passive learning. Students and faculty identified areas for future module improvement. Discussion: The educational program was well received and increased students' knowledge and confidence in core concepts of QI and safety. The module addressed the requirement for graduating students to identify safety incidents and contribute to a culture of QI.

Epilepsy: A Clinical Overview.

The diagnosis and treatment of seizures and epilepsy is a common task of the physician. Approximately 1 in 10 people will have a seizure during their lifetime. Epilepsy is the tendency to have unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder and affects 1 in 26 people in the United States and 65 million people worldwide. Evaluation of a patient presenting with a seizure involves excluding an underlying neurologic or medical condition, classifying the seizure type and determining if the patient has epilepsy. Proper treatment requires accurate diagnosis of the epilepsy type and syndrome and use of a medication that is effective and without adverse effects. Most patients can achieve complete seizure control with medication, but if medication is unsuccessful, surgical treatment can be an option. Special situations in the care of people with epilepsy include status epilepticus, women with epilepsy, the older adult, and safety issues.

Fatal Case of Chronic Jamestown Canyon Virus Encephalitis Diagnosed by Metagenomic Sequencing in Patient Receiving Rituximab.

A 56-year-old man receiving rituximab who had months of neurologic symptoms was found to have Jamestown Canyon virus in cerebrospinal fluid by clinical metagenomic sequencing. The patient died, and postmortem examination revealed extensive neuropathologic abnormalities. Deep sequencing enabled detailed characterization of viral genomes from the cerebrospinal fluid, cerebellum, and cerebral cortex.

Brain Death Determination: An Interprofessional Simulation to Determine Brain Death and Communicate with Families Focused on Neurology Residents.

Introduction: Significant variation exists in determining brain death despite an expectation of competence for all neurology residents. In addition, family discussions regarding brain death are challenging and may influence organ donation. Methods: We developed two simulations of increasing complexity for PGY 2 and PGY 3 neurology residents. High-fidelity mannequins were used to simulate patients; standardized actors portrayed family members. In the first simulation, residents determined brain death and shared this information with a grieving family. In the second simulation, residents determined brain death in a more complicated scenario, requiring ancillary testing and accurate result interpretation. Following the determination, residents met with a challenging family. The residents worked with an interdisciplinary team and responded to the family's emotions, used active listening skills, and supported the family through next steps. Results: Twelve residents completed the simulations. Prior to the simulation, three (25%) residents felt comfortable discussing a brain death diagnosis; following the simulation, eight (67%) residents felt comfortable/very comfortable discussing brain death. Prior to the simulation, eight (67%) residents stated they knew prerequisites for performing a brain death examination and seven (58%) agreed they knew indications for ancillary testing; these numbers increased to 100% following the simulation. The number of residents who felt comfortable performing the brain death exam increased from five (42%) to 10 (83%). Discussion: This simulation of determining brain death and leading difficult family meetings was well-received by neurology residents. Further work should focus on the effects of simulation-based education on practice variation and organ donation consent rates.

Training in Neurology: Rapid implementation of cross-institutional neurology resident education in the time of COVID-19.

In-person resident didactics are traditionally limited to the faculty within a single institution. Tele-education efforts have been implemented in neurology to various degrees historically, but the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has necessitated a broad and immediate overhaul in neurology didactic training. To respond to the immediate need for resident didactics, we created a rapid onset, volunteer tele-education didactic series publicized on online forums to the American Academy of Neurology A.B. Baker Section via Synapse and the Women Neurologists Group via Facebook. We describe how, with just 1 week of lead time, we created an ongoing neurology lecture series featuring faculty from across the country lecturing on a diverse range of neurology topics. The series is ongoing and draws upwards of 120 residents per lecture. Tele-education offers unique benefits to enhance the education of all neurology trainees everywhere.

Pediatric and adult neurologist perspectives on the challenges of sustaining a transfer clinic.

We present a novel epilepsy fellow-driven transfer clinic model and discuss the challenges experienced in finding sustainability; this is timely as many pioneering transition clinics are dissolving across North America. The goal of this clinic was to improve patient care and satisfaction, as measured by a post-visit telephone survey. Unfortunately, our transfer clinic model proved unsustainable due to several factors, broadly categorized as (1) cultural-societal differences between the pediatric and adult health care environments, (2) staffing issues, (3) lack of an established standardized process for transfer of care, and (4) financial and administrative barriers. We suggest potential solutions to these challenges, but the fate of transition and transfer of care clinics may ultimately depend on implementation of practice, policy, and/or financial guidelines.

Seizures in patients with cancer.

Seizures are common in patients with cancer and either result from brain lesions, paraneoplastic syndromes, and complications of cancer treatment or are provoked by systemic illness (metabolic derangements, infections). Evaluation should include a tailored history, neurologic examination, laboratory studies, neuroimaging, and electroencephalogram. In unprovoked seizures, antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment is required, and a nonenzyme-inducing AED is preferred. Treatment of the underlying cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy also can help reduce seizures. Benzodiazepines are useful in the treatment of both provoked seizures and breakthrough epileptic seizures and as first-line treatment for status epilepticus. Counseling for safety is an important component in the care of a patient with cancer who has seizures. Good seizure management can be challenging but significantly improves the quality of life during all phases of care, including end-of-life care.

Smartphone EEG and remote online interpretation for children with epilepsy in the Republic of Guinea: Quality, characteristics, and practice implications.

PURPOSE: Children with epilepsy in low-income countries often go undiagnosed and untreated. We examine a portable, low-cost smartphone-based EEG technology in a heterogeneous pediatric epilepsy cohort in the West African Republic of Guinea. METHODS: Children with epilepsy were recruited at the Ignace Deen Hospital in Conakry, 2017. Participants underwent sequential EEG recordings with an app-based EEG, the Smartphone Brain Scanner-2 (SBS2) and a standard Xltek EEG. Raw EEG data were transmitted via Bluetooth™ connection to an Android™ tablet and uploaded for remote EEG specialist review and reporting via a new, secure web-based reading platform, crowdEEG. The results were compared to same-visit Xltek 10-20 EEG recordings for identification of epileptiform and non-epileptiform abnormalities. RESULTS: 97 children meeting the International League Against Epilepsy's definition of epilepsy (49 male; mean age 10.3 years, 29 untreated with an antiepileptic drug; 0 with a prior EEG) were enrolled. Epileptiform discharges were detected on 21 (25.3%) SBS2 and 31 (37.3%) standard EEG recordings. The SBS2 had a sensitivity of 51.6% (95%CI 32.4%, 70.8%) and a specificity of 90.4% (95%CI 81.4%, 94.4%) for all types of epileptiform discharges, with positive and negative predictive values of 76.2% and 75.8% respectively. For generalized discharges, the SBS2 had a sensitivity of 43.5% with a specificity of 96.2%. CONCLUSIONS: The SBS2 has a moderate sensitivity and high specificity for the detection of epileptiform abnormalities in children with epilepsy in this low-income setting. Use of the SBS2+crowdEEG platform permits specialist input for patients with previously poor access to clinical neurophysiology expertise.

Diagnosis in Neurologic Disease.

The diagnosis of neurologic disease is relevant to the non-neurologist because neurologic symptoms are a common reason patients present to their health care provider and most of these patients are never referred to a neurologist. The diagnosis of a neurologic disease is a rewarding endeavor because it requires intellectual rigor, skill, and is of paramount importance to patient care. A tailored history and examination lead to localization and differential diagnosis. Diagnostic testing often involves neuroimaging and serum testing and also may involve lumbar puncture, electroencephalogram, nerve conduction studies, and electromyography. In the modern era, all neurologic diagnoses lead to treatments.

Teaching the Neurological Examination in a Rapidly Evolving Clinical Climate.

The neurological examination remains the essence of neurology. It allows symptoms to be assessed, diagnoses to be made, and dynamic functions to be followed. Skill in the neurological examination has faced increasing challenges from the encroachment of diagnostic imaging, but has maintained its clinical utility. It has also encountered the battle for the precious time within a medical curriculum. This review considers how the neurological examination can best be taught into the future. It does so by considering factors related to the examination, the learner, the teacher, and the modern clinical environment.