Preliminary evaluation of junior medical students' exposure and comfort with performing the basic head and neck examination.

Abstract

To assess junior medical students' comfort levels in performing the head and neck physical examination (H&NPE) and perception of the importance of otolaryngology--head and neck surgery (OTO-HNS) in medical training before and after undergoing a department-led teaching session. Anonymous cross-sectional survey study, before and after educational intervention. One hundred one second-year medical students participated in an H&NPE teaching session as part of their preclinical curriculum. Students first watched a 25-minute H&NPE instructional video. Students then participated in lectures (90 minutes) on OTO-HNS subspecialties and faculty- and resident-led group H&NPE instruction (five to six students each, 90 minutes) with practice on student partners. Students rated their comfort levels (0-5 point Likert scale) in performing the H&NPE and the importance of OTO-HNS rotations throughout medical training before and after the session. Ninety-five and 77 medical students completed presurveys and postsurveys, respectively. Before the teaching session, students reported an average comfort level of 2.1 in performing the complete H&NPE, which increased to 3.4 (P < .0001) after the session. Similar changes were observed for the individual ear, nose, mouth, and neck exams. A specialized teaching session significantly improved medical students' comfort levels in performing the H&NPE and increased their awareness of the importance of OTO-HNS in medical training immediately after the session.