Clinical neurology is the medical speciality that is concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and - in some instances - continuing assessment and care of patients with diseases of the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and muscles. For some patients the neurologist is the principal provider of specialist care, but for a much larger number care is provided in collaboration with other physicians and surgeons. Neurologists also play a part in undergraduate and postgraduate education, research and audit, and in service planning.
In addition to patient care and teaching, academic neurologists are required to promote research. This often involves co-operation with other researchers, at national and international levels, with the consequence that they are not always available to perform routine clinical duties. Academic neurologists have a responsibility to teach neurology to undergraduates and postgraduates. Although it is necessary for academic neurologists to have clinical responsibilities, these have to be less than is usual for other neurologists.
Patients referred to neurologists may have straightforward disorders or they may have complex conditions. Overall, 16 common disorders account for 75% of all new patients. The remaining 25% have more unusual disorders, which may require expert assessment, sophisticated investigations and elaborate treatment.
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