2026 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Objective:

To determine whether a gamified Bingo intervention can enhance neurology residents’ confidence, motivation, and engagement in performing key neurological examination maneuvers on inpatient rotations.

Background:

“Neurophobia”—the fear of neurology due to difficulty applying complex neuroanatomy at the bedside—remains common among trainees. Traditional teaching often emphasizes observation rather than active skill practice. Educational games can transform learning by turning routine tasks into immediate, goal-directed challenges. We developed a low-cost Bingo-style game to encourage deliberate, joyful repetition of high-yield neurological examination maneuvers during inpatient ward and consult rounds.

Design/Methods:

During a one-week inpatient rotation, 24 residents received a Bingo card listing 24 specific examination tasks spanning cranial, motor, sensory, and coordination systems. Each task required demonstration on an actual patient. Participants completed pre- and post-rotation surveys assessing confidence in performing a complete exam and motivation to learn new “exam pearls” (1–5 Likert scale). Post-rotation, participants also rated satisfaction. Wilcoxon signed-rank testscompared pre- and post-intervention median scores for confidence and motivation.

Results:

Eighteen residents completed pre-surveys, and 14 provided matched post-data (PGY2–PGY4). Median confidenceincreased from 3 (IQR 1) to 4 (IQR 1) (p = 0.002), and median motivation rose from 3 (IQR 1) to 4 (IQR 1) (p = 0.005). Mean gains were approximately +1 point for both domains. Improvements were most notable for rarely practiced signs such as internuclear ophthalmoplegia, skew deviation, pseudoathetosis, curtain sign, and localization of central versus peripheral deficits. 86% of participants reported being satisfied or highly satisfied with the intervention. Residents called the game a “fun checklist that made the exam feel purposeful” and said it “made me want to examine more patients,” with no reported downsides.

Conclusions:

A simple, gamified Bingo tool meaningfully increased residents’ confidence and intrinsic motivation to perform bedside neurological examinations. This easily scalable model could help restore enthusiasm for hands-on neurology education across training programs.