Preliminary evaluation of junior medical students' exposure and comfort with performing the basic head and neck examination

• Published in: The Laryngoscope Vol. 121; no. 7; pp. 1431 - 1435
• Main Authors: Wu, Edward C., Passy, Victor, Armstrong, William B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01-07-2011; Wiley-Blackwell
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Clinical Clerkship; Cross-Sectional Studies; Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods; Educational Measurement; Female; General otolaryngology; Head; head and neck examination; Head and Neck Neoplasms - diagnosis; Head and Neck Neoplasms - surgery; Humans; Level of Evidence: N/A; Male; medical education; Medical sciences; Neck; Otolaryngology - education; Otorhinolaryngology. Stomatology; Personal Satisfaction; Physical Examination - methods; Students, Medical - psychology; Young Adult; Evaluation; medical education; Education; Comfort; Head and neck; Exposure; ENT; Student; head and neck examination; General otolaryngology
• ISSN: 0023-852X; 1531-4995
• DOI: 10.1002/lary.21835

Objective:
To assess junior medical students' comfort levels in performing the head and neck physical examination (H&NPE) and perception of the importance of otolaryngology—head and neck surgery (OTO‐HNS) in medical training before and after undergoing a department‐led teaching session.
Design:
Anonymous cross‐sectional survey study, before and after educational intervention.
Methods:
One hundred one second‐year medical students participated in an H&NPE teaching session as part of their preclinical curriculum. Students first watched a 25‐minute H&NPE instructional video. Students then participated in lectures (90 minutes) on OTO‐HNS subspecialties and faculty‐ and resident‐led group H&NPE instruction (five to six students each, 90 minutes) with practice on student partners. Students rated their comfort levels (0–5 point Likert scale) in performing the H&NPE and the importance of OTO‐HNS rotations throughout medical training before and after the session.
Results:
Ninety‐five and 77 medical students completed presurveys and postsurveys, respectively. Before the teaching session, students reported an average comfort level of 2.1 in performing the complete H&NPE, which increased to 3.4 (P < .0001) after the session. Similar changes were observed for the individual ear, nose, mouth, and neck exams.
Conclusions:
A specialized teaching session significantly improved medical students' comfort levels in performing the H&NPE and increased their awareness of the importance of OTO‐HNS in medical training immediately after the session.