Beyond the Chalkboard: The Interacting Domains in Undergraduate Psychiatric Teaching

Abstract

Undergraduate psychiatric teaching is an essential part of general family physicians' training and practice. Undergraduate students' exposure to psychiatry might be inadequate. Curricular goals, teaching and evaluation of students need to be aligned. Research and information technology can play a bigger role in teaching. Validation of patients, students and teachers during the teaching process is important, but not always emphasized. Educators should be aware of society's unwritten expectations, judgements and opinions of mental illness sufferers. Identifying and facilitating the various interacting domains during psychiatric teaching may contribute to better education in psychiatry, better retention of knowledge for students and an improved recruitment of students to a psychiatric career.

Effectiveness of a training programme for primary care physicians directed at the enhancement of their psychiatric knowledge in Saudi Arabia

“…Several other factors including sociodemographic, psychography (e.g., various personality types, socio-cultural systems), experiential, and assignment of specific clinical responsibilities could also predict gain both in primary health care (PHC) physicians' knowledge in psychiatry and healthy attitudes towards psychiatry (Wolff et al, 1996;Angermeyer & Matschinger, 1997;Qureshi et al, 2001;Walker & Read, 2003). Notably, a large body of research suggests that PHC doctors need continuing psychiatric training due to multiple reasons, including: WHO has recognized mental health to be one of the components of PHC; PHC physician undergraduate psychiatric training is unfocused; there are rapidly occurring scientific advances influencing psychiatric diagnoses and treatment; the relatively deficient psychiatric diagnostic and therapeutic services at the PHC level; a substantial number of patients with an array of psychiatric disorders, psychopathological subsyndromes, physical co-morbidities, and psychosocial problems (up to 85%) who consult PHC physicians; while doctors diagnose and treat a proportion of PHC patients with psychiatric disorders, approximately 60% of patients remain unidentified, misdiagnosed, and sub-optimally treated in PHC settings; deficient psychiatric services have several adverse effects on the delivery of mental health services to PHC attendees; and, finally, the trained physicians with healthy attitudes towards psychiatry develop strong therapeutic alliances with psychiatric patients, offering comprehensive services with reduced performance anxiety (WHO, 1990;Higgins, 1994;Sim et al, 1996;Van der Pasch & Verhaak, 1998;Pini et al, 1999;Rubin & Zorumski 2003;Claassen & Kruger, 2005;Levav et al, 2005). Additionally, for PHC physicians, patients with medically unexplained symptoms, co-morbid physical diseases, and multiple drug abuse pose diagnostic and treatment difficulties at consultation (Reid et al, 2001).…”

All the world’s a stage: evaluating psychiatry role-play based learning for medical students

“…Questionnaire completion was voluntary and anonymous. Part 1 asked number of sessions (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6) attended. In Part 2, participants responded to a set of 12 statements (A-L) using a five point Likert-scale with 1 indicating 'strongly disagree' and 5 indicating 'strongly agree'.…”

“…However, reduced lengths of stay and a greater emphasis on privacy, consent and consumer rights together with increased clinician workloads and the rapid expansion of medical student enrolment 1,2 in Australia have made it increasingly difficult for students to access this teaching. 3 These pressures have prompted an increasing interest in the use of simulation techniques, including role-play, in medical education. 4 Role-play can provide some of the benefits of bedside teaching.…”

Attitude of Medical Students University of Baghdad toward Psychiatry:Clinical significance and as future career

“…Psychiatry is an important branch of medicine in medical education and as medical specialty for new trainees, and an indicator for a proper,well developed health services by health policy makers. As the World Health Organization stated; "There is no health without mental health", (1), therefore both mental health authorities and researchers tried to implement psychiatric education and training in the curriculum of different medical colleges, and to encourage the medical students to choose psychiatry as their future career (2). These two issues were investigated in many developed countries where seizable literature focused on the issue of the attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry as a profession or towards mentally ill patients since the 1960s (3).The recruitment of trainee psychiatrists also depends on building a positive view of the specialty, so such studies started to expand worldwide to regain the balance between increasing population and availability of qualified psychiatrists.…”