A Scoping Review of Medical Education Research in Neurosurgery

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the state of medical education (ME) research in neurosurgery. As ME started to develop in neurosurgery in recent years, it is important to understand the current status and develop the theory for advancement in neurosurgery. The aim of this study was to undertake a scoping review of neurosurgery literature on ME research. METHODS: MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and PubMed databases were searched. Inclusion criteria were full-text articles in English published from January 2006 to December 2017. Research aspects included country of publication, annual number of publications, journal types, type of participants, frequently researched topics, and research design. Search terms included neurosurgery, medical education, teaching, training, learning, and curriculum. RESULTS: A total of 9863 references were found across 3 databases. After duplicate removal and further screening, 533 references remained for coding analysis. ME research activity in neurosurgery is increasing and commonly observed in Western countries. Identified articles were mostly quantitative, with curriculum, assessment (especially simulation), and teaching and learning being the most dominant research themes. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the need for enhanced quantity and quality of ME research in neurosurgery. It identifies areas of highest priority and aspects to be improved and provides us with a rationale for future development in ME in neurosurgery. These findings reveal future education research direction and programmatic research areas, while also establishing a benchmark to assess changes in educational scholarship over time.