gms | German Medical Science

Objective: It is common knowledge that adherence to medical guidelines differs greatly between countries and hospitals or even within departments. In line with this is the diversity of training programs of neurosurgical residents throughout the world. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one the most common diseases treated by nearly every training neurosurgeon. The goal of this study was to identify and objectivize the diversity of training of TBI within Europe in order to find common grounds for European training goals.

Method: Anonymous survey among 120 residents (including 3 North-American) at the training course of the European Association of Neurosurgical Societies, Barcelona, February 2014, either on site by voting device or delayed through a closed questionnaire website.

Results: Only 32% receive theoretical training in TBI. Nevertheless, 77% of the residents have heard or read the internationally acknowledged guidelines of the Brain Trauma Foundation. Eighty-eight percent feel that they are exposed enough to TBI during residency and are usually taught on site by either a senior resident or consultant. One third of the residents treat mild TBI patients. Half of the residents are expected to be part of the initial emergency department resuscitation. Ninety-four percent believe severe TBI patients should be treated in a dedicated Neuro-ICU and 60% are expected to spend at least 3 months full time on an ICU. Only 20% of residents are actually really interested in treating TBI.

Conclusions: Indirectly we may conclude that the quality of care of TBI patients is as diverse as its training. Standardization on a European level by EANS-courses or on a national level in greater detail with consequent feedback testing as done by the Canadian or Australian training programs is necessary.