Neurology Training Program for the Education of Psychiatry Residents: Experiences Reported from Curitiba, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: There has been a greater demand for the psychiatry specialty, possibly associated with the paradigm change in asylum care for outpatients and communities; consequently, there is now a greater number of institutions for Medical Training in Psychiatric Residency. As such, we seek to elaborate upon the Neurology Program for Medical Residency in Psychiatry (NPMRP) and present the experience of its application. Methods: We present an observational and descriptive study of the NPMRP experience in Curitiba/Paraná/Brazil. To prepare the NPMRP, reflective theoretical research was carried out via data from the websites of the Brazilian Psychiatric Association, Brazilian Psychiatric Residencies, PubMed and SciELO. Thw keywords used included: program of psychiatry residency; neurology and psychiatry residency; neurology in psychiatry. Results: It is thought that the resident develops clinical skills through the neurology-psychiatry interface, via an in-service training of general neurology (1st year resident) and epilepsy and neurocognitive disorders (3rd year resident), which takes place once a week. Residents receive training in conducting interviews and brief neurological examinations, concerning the types of neurological diagnosis, request for additional tests and interpretation of the reports. The outpatient clinical sessions last 4-5 hours, resulting in one patient/hour per resident who, in turn, prepares the medical record. The cases are reviewed and discussed with the neurologist instructor, promoting patient/family participation in shared decision-making. At the end of the outpatient clinic session, an activity is carried out with the whole team to socialize the visits and review theoretical contents. Assessments are daily, quarterly and annual, covering both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Conclusion: The NPMRP has excellent results in improving resident training and patient care. There is an excellent opinion regarding learning by the residents and a good level of satisfaction of patients/family members. The neurologist instructor becomes part of the residency and the NPMRP integrates academic and assistance training. The authors propose the development of a national, standardized and reproducible NPMRP.