The provision of ENT teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum: a review and recommendations

OBJECTIVE: The existing provision of ENT teaching in the undergraduate curriculum is deemed inadequate by medical students, general practitioners and ENT surgeons alike. This study aims to explore the perceptions of a variety of stakeholders on how undergraduate ENT provision can be optimised. METHODS: This study involved semi-structured interviews with seven participants (two medical students, two general practitioners, two ENT surgeons and a curriculum developer). Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify key themes that emerged from the interviews. RESULTS: The four emergent themes were evaluation of current ENT provision, barriers to learning and teaching, alternate means of delivery of ENT education, and professional identity development. A number of barriers to learning and teaching in the clinical environment were identified including student-related, teacher-related and environmental factors. CONCLUSION: The existing ENT provision should be re-considered to help students achieve a basic level of competence in managing common ENT conditions. This can be achieved by ENT teaching in additional contexts including general practice, e-learning and simulation workshops.