Neurology
Draft proposed by Dr SP Wu, Dr Sophelia Chan
Reviewed by Dr Eric KW Lee
Essential Skills
Domain 1 Professional Values & Behaviour
Domain 2 Communication
Domain 3 Procedural Skills
Domain 4 Patient Management
Additional desirable skills are listed in each proposal. These recommended skills are to be acquired as opportunity arises
Basic Training
Febrile convulsions
Definition of febrile convulsions
Differentiation of typical and atypical febrile convulsions
Acute management of seizures
Parental Counselling
Prognosis
Epilepsy
Definition of epilepsy
Common manifestation of epilepsy
Causes of epilepsy
Performing basic investigations for seizures
Use of common anti-epileptic medications
Status epilepticus (SE)
Recognition of the emergency condition
Life support during seizures
Protocol of SE management
Cerebral palsy (CP)
Common causes
Common manifestations
Classification of CP
Common co-morbidities
Abnormal anatomy of head and brain
Presentation and management of neural tube defects
Normal and abnormal variation in head shape and sizes
CNS infections – Meningitis and encephalitis
(Check with PIAID)
Common presentations and signs
Acute management
Headache
Common causes
Migraine and tension type headache – presentation and management
Features of raised Intracranial pressure and red flags for underlying causes of headache
CNS tumours
Common presentation of posterior fossa tumours
Differentiation from other causes of acute ataxia
Acute encephalopathy
Features of acute encephalopathy
Common causes of altered consciousness
Acute management of acute encephalopathy
Neuromuscular diseases
Common features, early recognition and Diagnostic approach of
Duchenne muscular dystrophy
Spinal muscular atrophy
Myasthenia gravis
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Head injury
Initial and urgent management of head injury
Developmental delay
Assess different development domains and recognize delayed development
Initiate investigation of underlying causes
Advise on initial management.
Understand the diagnostic criteria for autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder
Common Movement disorders
Recognize ataxia, choreoathetosis, tremor, jitteriness, stereotypic movements, tics and dystonia
Desirable skills
1. Fundoscopic examination
2. Judicious and rational application of neuroimaging studies
3. Tool for developmental assessment – Check with DBP
4. Using diagnostic tools of autism
Higher Training
Epilepsy
Common epileptic syndromes
The possible drug interactions of anti-seizure medicines
The common mimickers of epilepsy
Cerebral palsy (CP)
Management of spasticity and the comorbidities of cerebral palsy
Multidisciplinary management of cerebral palsy
The role of Special education
Abnormal anatomy of the nervous system
Presentation and management of:
Lissencephaly
Schizencephaly
Arnold-Chiari malformations
Immune-mediated conditions affecting the nervous system
Common presentations, signs and acute management of
Transverse myelitis
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis
Acute necrotizing encephalitis
Autoimmune encephalitis
Acute flaccid paralysis
Common causes and their management
Surveillance programme for the eradication of wild-type poliomyelitis
Neuromuscular diseases
Rational approach to investigation of hypotonia and paralysis
Variants of SMA and dystrophinopathies
Multidisciplinary management
Disease modifying treatment of SMA and DMD
Functional neurological disorders
Understand the features of functional neurological disorders, pseudoseizures, unexplained weakness and other neurological conditions that do not have an explanation
Metabolic conditions affecting the nervous system
Common neurological manifestation of electrolyte and glucose disturbances
Common inheritable metabolic conditions with neurological signs or symptoms
Altered consciousness
The rational approach to formulate differential diagnosis of altered consciousness.
Brain death
The principle of diagnosing brain death and the process of brain death certification
Developmental delay
Know the support and services a child can receive from the local community, including government and non-government resources
Desirable skills
1. Parental counseling skills
2. Understand the Gross motor classification system
3. Understand the international classification of function, WHO
4. Diagnosis of brain death