Clinical Neurophysiology Training in a Developing Country: Institutional Resources and Profiles

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics and preferences of clinical neurophysiology (CN) fellows, as well as the resources available for their training, in a developing country such as Mexico.

An online survey (25 questions) was given to Mexican CN fellows from May to June 2017, covering their reasons for choosing the CN subspecialty, their activities, future plans, institutional resources, and administrative staff. Descriptive statistics were used.

Total respondents: 20/22 (90%), 65% female from 7 CN centers (80% public and 20% private hospitals) in Mexico City. Seventy-five percent chose CN out of personal interest, and all were not unsatisfied with their academic program. Most plan to work in private practice (75%) and are interested in learning EEG (85%) and intraoperative monitoring (75%-85%). The highest-reported training time by CN area allocated by the programs was as follows: EEG (27%), electromyography (22%), and evoked potentials (16%). The average number of fellows per center was 4; 75% of the centers perform epilepsy surgery, of which 60% offer invasive intracranial studies for the evaluation of surgical candidates.

Mexican CN fellows are satisfied with their choice and with the academic program. They are increasingly interested in intraoperative monitoring, which is not addressed in current Mexican CN Programs.