A curriculum for epilepsy surgery: A report from the Surgical Commission's Epilepsy Surgery Educational Task Force and the Educational Council of the ILAE

Dorfer C, Enslin JM, Muh CR, Wang X, de Olivera TvHF, Wiebe S, McKhann GM, Damisah E, Al-Otaibi F, Singh G, Blümcke I, Rydenhag B, Ali RP, Englot DJ, Vanegas MA, Cross JH, Cukiert A (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

DOI: 10.1002/epd2.70054

Abstract

Objective: There is a need to develop a comprehensive, formalized, and globally applicable epilepsy surgery curriculum in order to help standardize the quality of epilepsy surgery practice in the world. Methods: The Epilepsy Surgery Educational Task Force of the ILAE developed a competency-based epilepsy surgery educational curriculum comprised of four domains: Diagnosis, Counseling, Pre-surgical Work-up, and Surgical Techniques. To evaluate this educational curriculum, a survey questionnaire consisting of 11 items was sent out for feedback to ILAE and IESS members. The survey questionnaire asked respondents to rate the degree of importance of each competency on a five-point scale that ranged from “extremely important” to “not at all important” and provided space for free text comments. All competencies that were rated as “slightly important” or “somewhat important” by more than 10% of responders, as well as all free text feedback comments, were fully reviewed, and the final curriculum was adjusted accordingly. Results: One hundred and twenty-two responses (n = 122) were submitted by the ILAE and IESS communities. Seventy-one percent (71.9%) of the responses came from neurosurgeons of varied experience and training levels. Ninety-four percent (94.4%) of responders stated that they “support a curriculum to determine the competency of neurosurgeons participating in the care of people with epilepsy in my country,” and 94.3% confirmed that they “would be interested in taking or would recommend an ILAE course based on these competencies, that would provide an ILAE certificate of completion.” Relevant changes within the curriculum were made based on feedback. Significance: The newly developed ILAE comprehensive epilepsy surgery educational curriculum has a high level of support from neurosurgeons and neurologists around the world and shows potential for broad acceptance and implementation.

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

Hospital Universitário Cajuru (HUC) Brazil (BR) University of Calgary Canada (CA) Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) United States (USA) (US) Yale University United States (USA) (US) King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre Saudi Arabia (SA) Dayanand Medical College & Hospital India (IN) Sahlgrenska University Hospital / Sahlgrenska Universitetssjukhuset Sweden (SE) Mayo Clinic United States (USA) (US) Vanderbilt University United States (USA) (US) National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery / Instituto Nacional de Neurología y Neurocirugía (INNN) Mexico (MX) University College London (UCL) United Kingdom (GB) Clinica Cukiert Brazil (BR) Westchester Medical Center University Hospital (WMC) United States (USA) (US) Beijing Sanbo Brain Hospital / 北京三博脑科医院 China (CN) Medizinische Universität Wien Austria (AT) Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital South Africa (ZA)

How to cite

APA:

Dorfer, C., Enslin, J.M., Muh, C.R., Wang, X., de Olivera, T.v.H.F., Wiebe, S.,... Cukiert, A. (2025). A curriculum for epilepsy surgery: A report from the Surgical Commission's Epilepsy Surgery Educational Task Force and the Educational Council of the ILAE. Epileptic Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1002/epd2.70054

MLA:

Dorfer, Christian, et al. "A curriculum for epilepsy surgery: A report from the Surgical Commission's Epilepsy Surgery Educational Task Force and the Educational Council of the ILAE." Epileptic Disorders (2025).

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