Is There a Neurologist in the House? A Summary of the Current State of Neurovascular Rotations for Emergency Medicine Residents

Approach to Acute Dizziness/Vertigo in the Emergency Department: Selected Controversies Regarding Specialty Consultation

Acute dizziness and vertigo are common emergency department presentations (≈4% of annual visits) and sometimes, a life-threatening diagnosis like stroke is missed. Recent literature reviews the challenges in evaluation of these symptoms and offers guidelines for diagnostic approaches. Strong evidence indicates that when well-trained providers perform a high-quality bedside neurovestibular examination, accurate diagnosis of peripheral vestibular disorders and stroke increases. However, it is less clear who can and should be performing these assessments on a routine basis. This article offers a focused debate for and against routine specialty consultation for patients with acute dizziness or vertigo in the emergency department as well as a potential path forward utilizing new portable technologies to quantify eye movements.

Brain Ultrasonography Consensus on Skill Recommendations and Competence Levels Within the Critical Care Setting

BACKGROUND

To report a consensus on the different competency levels for the elaboration of skill recommendations in performing brain ultrasonography within the neurocritical care setting.

METHODS

Four brain ultrasound experts, supported by a methodologist, performed a preselection of indicators and skills based on the current literature and clinical expertise. An international panel of experts was recruited and subjected to web-based questionnaires according to a Delphi method presented in three separate rounds. A pre-defined threshold of agreement was established on expert subjective opinions, > 84% of votes was set to support a strong recommendation and > 68% for a weak recommendation. Below these thresholds, no recommendation reached.

RESULTS

We defined four different skill levels (basic, basic-plus, pre-advanced, advanced). Twenty-five experts participated to the full process. After four rounds of questions, two items received a strong recommendation in the basic skill category, three in the advanced, twelve in the basic-plus, and seven in the pre-advanced. Two items in the pre-advanced category received a weak recommendation and three could not be collocated and were excluded from the list.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this consensus permitted stratification of the different ultrasound examination skills in four levels with progressively increasing competences. This consensus can be useful as a guide for beginners in brain ultrasonography and for the development of specific training programs within this field.

Incorporation of Telestroke into Neurology Residency Training: "Time Is Brain and Education"

Background: With increasing demand for neurologists, nontraditional health care delivery mechanisms have been developed to leverage this limited resource. Introduction: Telemedicine has emerged as an effective digital solution. Over the past three decades, telemedicine use has steadily grown; however, neurologists often learn on the job, rather than as part of their medical training. The current literature regarding telestroke training during neurology training is sparse, focusing on cerebrovascular fellowship curricula. We sought to enhance telestroke training in our neurology residency by incorporating real-life application. Materials and Methods: We implemented a formal educational model for neurology residents to use telemedicine for remote acquisition of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) for patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke (AIS) before arrival at our comprehensive stroke center. This three-phase educational model involved multidisciplinary classroom didactics, simulation exercises, and real-world experience. Training and feedback were provided by neurologists experienced in telemedicine. Results: All residents completed formal training in telemedicine prehospital NIHSS acquisition and had the opportunity to participate in additional simulation exercises. Currently, residents are gaining additional experience by performing prehospital NIHSS acquisition for patients in whom AIS is suspected. Our preliminary data indicate that resident video encounters average 10.6 min in duration, thus saving time once patients arrive at our hospital. Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of a telestroke-integrated neurology residency program in a comprehensive stroke center resulting in shortened time to treatment in patients with suspected AIS. Conclusions: We present a model that can be adopted by other neurology residency programs as it provides real-world telemedicine training critical to future neurologists.