Neurology education in resource-limited settings

Abstract

This column focuses on neurology education in resource-limited settings. The staff of many academic and private neurology practices in the United States exceeds the number of neurologists in all of Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa). As of 2004, there were approximately 3 neurologists per 100,000 population in high-income countries. This figure dropped by a factor of 100 to 3 neurologists per 10,000,000 in low-income countries, some of which do not have even a single neurologist. There is, however, no shortage of neurologic disease in countries with few or no neurologists. In fact, the majority of disability adjusted life-years and deaths due to neurologic diseases occur in the countries where neurologic resources are most limited. Diagnosis and treatment of neurologic disease in countries with few or no neurologists often falls under the purview of internists and pediatricians, since they typically have no recourse to a neurology consultation. But where does their neurology training come from if there are no local neurologists to train them? Through educational collaborations, neurologists have much to offer that can advance the care of the majority of the world's neurologic patients. Indeed, the foundation of capacity building in neurology in such settings is education. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved)