To investigate the impact of a 3-week neurology curriculum on house staff in a teaching hospital in Tamale, Ghana.

It is crucial to expand neurological training to avoid shortages of neurologists, especially in low- income countries. Tamale, the capital city of the northern region of Ghana, has a teaching hospital with only one neurologist and no formal neurology curriculum for house staff. Our goal was to improve the knowledge and impression of neurology, spark interest in the field, and motivate the next generation of doctors at Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH) to pursue further neurological training.

Nineteen house staff participated in the 3-week curriculum which consisted of a neurological exam workshop, bedside teaching during rounds, and multiple didactics on the diagnosis and management of neurological diseases. Pre- and post-curriculum surveys assessed self-reported confidence, enjoyment, and interest in neurology using a 5-point Likert scale. Paired t-tests were used to analyze the data.

Self-reported confidence regarding neurological diagnosis and treatment improved after the curriculum. Confidence ratings included assessing for neurological history, performing a full neurological exam, lesion localization, CT/MRI interpretation, management of emergencies, and diagnosis of non-urgent complaints (all p < 0.01). Enjoyment of learning neurology also increased (p < 0.01). There was no significant difference of interest in learning more about neurology (p = 1) or plans to pursue further training in neurology (p = 0.45).

The implementation of a 3-week neurology curriculum in TTH significantly improved house staffs’ knowledge and confidence of diagnosis and management of neurological diseases and enjoyment of learning neurology. This intervention serves as a model for expanding neurological training in resource-limited regions to address the global treatment gap. Further research is needed to determine the long-term impact of this curriculum on patient outcomes and the career paths of house staff at TTH.