Abstracts

Rationale: The interpretation of electroencephalograms (EEG) is a core procedural skill for neurologists. The recently published ACGME/ABPN Neurology Milestone Project and Child Neurology Project outlines specific EEG interpretation and documentation skills that graduating neurology and child neurology residents are expected to have mastered during their training. Individual residency programs have leeway as to how they will ensure that their trainees have mastered this skill. To date, there is no published data on the ways in which different programs teach EEG to their residents or on how they assess competency in these skills by graduation. This study aims to gather this information as well as confidence scores of the different program directors as to their graduating residents' EEG reading skills. Methods: A 23 question online anonymous survey utilizing SurveyMonkeyTM was sent to the 214 child and adult neurology program directors across the nation. The survey queried basic elements of the residency program as well as specific elements of the EEG curriculum Finally, the survey also asked about the confidence level of the program directors in their graduating residents’ ability to read routine EEGs as well as their confidence levels that their graduating residents have met each of the ACGME EEG milestones. Results: A total of 38 (20 adult, 18 pediatric) neurology program directors or faculty acting for the program director completed the survey.  The number of respondents was too small (17%) to make any meaningful assessment as to ways most programs are teaching EEG.  However, there was enough variability in confidence to assess the factors that predicted high confidence levels.There was no factor that had statistically significant correlation with confidence in adult or pediatric graduating residents’ ability to read a routine EEG  Confidence in pediatric residents meeting the Child Neurology EEG ACGME milestones was correlated with number of EEGs read and reports written with direct supervision of an attending (p=0.02) , the percentage of the residents who do additional EEG electives(p=0.04), and percentage of EEGs which were continuous EEG intensive care unit studies (p=0.02).  Confidence in adult residents meeting the Adult neurology EEG ACGME milestones was correlated with percentage of EEGs read which were outpatient routine (p=0.03) and outpatient ambulatory studies (p=0.01) In addition to the above, the following factors had either trends toward significance or statistically significance in 4 out of the 4 groups:  weeks of EEG/epilepsy hybrid rotations, percentage of EEGs read which were outpatient ambulatory or routine. The following factors had trends toward significance or statistical significance in 3 out of the 4 groups: number of EEGs read and reports written directly supervised by an attending, hours of didactic sessions. Conclusions: Incorporating the above reported factors (i.e. more directly observed reports and EEG reading, more didactic sessions, more outpatient EEG studies, more time on EEG/epilepsy rotations) into neurology residency programs will likely augment the resident EEG experience and help actuate ACGME set milestones. Funding: None