SynthesisBMC medical education2026
Neurophobia in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs): burden and implications for neurology care and research - a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC medical education, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Neurophobia in health profession students and practitioners: a systematic review and synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM).Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026Pooled it
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionAlthough neurological research and practice are gaining traction globally with newer therapeutic/diagnostic approaches, many medical students and trainees are reluctant to pursue careers in the neurosciences. Amid fragile health systems and low neurologist-patient ratios, a comprehensive understanding of the burden of neurophobia in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) is yet lacking. We reviewed the burden of neurophobia and described its implications for neurology care and research.
methodsWe conducted a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Scopus, and African Journals Online (AJOL) for publications from inception till December 2024, using combinations of relevant search terms for 'neurophobia', 'burden/prevalence/patterns/predictors', our target populations, and 'low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)'. Data from selected studies were extracted and populated into a customized spreadsheet under pre-defined headings. The extracted data were subsequently analyzed.
resultsA total of 131 studies from PubMed (n = 25), AJOL (n = 6), EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus, and Google Scholar (n = 100) were screened. Ultimately, 15 studies were included, with a total sample size of 4,430 participants - comprising 3,629 medical students and 801 doctors. The prevalence of neurophobia was highly variable, ranging from as low as 6.25% to as high as 91.4%. The determinants, however, appeared consistent across study settings, comprising specific individual-level characteristics educational, sociocultural, as well as health system-related factors.
conclusionThe prevalence of neurophobia in LMICs varies widely. To tackle neurophobia, extant health policy, educational, and clinical training initiatives should be geared towards implementing and sustaining evidence-based strategies to improve clinical exposure and case-based learning. This will be critical to ensuring a steady stream of neurology workforce and may help bridge the neurology clinical care and research gap in LMICs.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.