"Just so I understand, you're consulting me because the patient has a brain and you don't understand it?" Dr. Glaucomflecken nails it with his hilariously accurate neurology character. Neurology tends to make doctors uncomfortable, to say the least.
The term "neurophobia" was first coined in a 1994 JAMA article to describe the pervasive fear of clinical neurology among medical students. Of course, now we know that the problem extends to physicians in all stages of their careers and all over the world. The downstream consequences of neurology's poor public perception may compromise patient care, both because neurophobia discourages trainees from choosing to pursue neurology and because neurophobia discourages physicians in other specialties from getting comfortable with neurologic diseases.
Understanding the roots of neurophobia is essential so that we can identify opportunities for intervention that will allow for promotion of a more "neuro-positive" culture.
A systematic reviewof studies that examined the key factors behind neurophobia identified difficulty in learning neurology relative to other specialties and lack of confidence concerning neurology as the most relevant factors. After students get off on the wrong foot with neurology, a vicious cycle of "neuroavoidance" develops. If medical trainees aren't learning enough neurology, how can we expect them to treat patients with neurologic disease?
