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Medical student education in sleep and its disorders : still meagre 20 years on : a cross-sectional survey of UK undergraduate medical education
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Romiszewski, Stephanie , May, Felix Edward Kelly, Homan, Elizabeth Jane, Norris, Ben, Miller, Michelle A. and Zeman, Adam (2020) Medical student education in sleep and its disorders : still meagre 20 years on : a cross-sectional survey of UK undergraduate medical education. Journal of Sleep Research, 29 (6). e12980. doi:10.1111/jsr.12980
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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12980
Abstract
Sleep is a pillar of health, alongside adequate nutrition and exercise. Problems with sleep are common and often treatable. Twenty years ago, UK medical school education on sleep disorders had a median teaching time of 15 min; we investigate whether education on sleep disorders has improved. This is a cross-sectional survey, including time spent on teaching sleep medicine, subtopics covered and forms of assessment. Thirty-four medical degree courses in the UK were investigated via a questionnaire. We excluded responses not concerned with general undergraduate education (i.e. optional modules). Twenty-five (74%) medical schools responded. Time spent teaching undergraduates sleep medicine was: median, 1.5 hr; mode, <1 hr; mean, 3.2 hr (SD = 2.6). Only two schools had a syllabus or core module (8%) and five (22%) were involved in sleep disorders research. Despite the above, half of the respondents thought provision was sufficient. Free-text comments had recurring themes: sleep medicine is subsumed into other specialties, obstructive sleep apnea dominates teaching, knowledge of sleep disorders is optional, and there is inertia regarding change. A substantial minority of respondents were enthusiastic about improving provision. In conclusion, little has changed over 20 years: sleep medicine is neglected despite agreement on its importance for general health. Sleep research is the exception rather than the rule. Obstacles to change include views that “sleep is not a core topic” or “the curriculum is too crowded”. However, there is enthusiasm for improvement. We recommend establishment of a sleep medicine curriculum. Without better teaching, doctors will remain ill-equipped to recognize and treat these common conditions.
| Item Type: | Journal Article | ||||||||
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| Divisions: | Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School | ||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Journal of Sleep Research | ||||||||
| Publisher: | Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. | ||||||||
| ISSN: | 0962-1105 | ||||||||
| Official Date: | December 2020 | ||||||||
| Dates: |
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| Volume: | 29 | ||||||||
| Number: | 6 | ||||||||
| Article Number: | e12980 | ||||||||
| DOI: | 10.1111/jsr.12980 | ||||||||
| Status: | Peer Reviewed | ||||||||
| Publication Status: | Published | ||||||||
| Publisher Statement: | This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Romiszewski, S, May, FEK, Homan, EJ, Norris, B, Miller, MA, Zeman, A. Medical student education in sleep and its disorders is still meagre 20 years on: A cross‐sectional survey of UK undergraduate medical education. J Sleep Res. 2020; 00:e12980. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12980, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12980. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. | ||||||||
| Access rights to Published version: | Restricted or Subscription Access | ||||||||
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