Prioritising topics for the undergraduate ENT curriculum

Knowledge of ENT is important for many doctors, but undergraduate time is limited. This study aimed to identify what is thought about ENT knowledge amongst non-ENT doctors, and the key topics that the curriculum should focus on.

Doctors were interviewed about their views of ENT knowledge amongst non-ENT doctors, and asked to identify key topics. These topics were then used to devise a questionnaire, which was distributed to multiple stakeholders in order to identify the key topics.

ENT knowledge was generally thought to be poor amongst doctors, and it was recommended that undergraduate ENT topics be kept simple. The highest rated topics were: clinical examination; when to refer; acute otitis media; common emergencies; tonsillitis and quinsy; management of ENT problems by non-ENT doctors; stridor and stertor; otitis externa; and otitis media with effusion.

This study identified a number of key ENT topics, and will help to inform future development of ENT curricula.