Electroconvulsive Therapy: a Video-Based Educational Resource Using Standardized Patients

Abstract

Objective Video-based depictions of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be useful for educational purposes, but many of the readily available resources may worsen already stigmatized views of the procedure. Educators’ common reliance on such material highlights the paucity of equipoised depictions of modern ECT well suited for the training of health professionals. The authors developed and tested a new educational module enhanced by videotaped depictions of a simulated patient undergoing the consent, treatment, recovery, and follow-up phases of ECT. Methods The didactic intervention interspersed 7 short video clips (totaling 14 min) into a 55-min lecture on treatment-resistant depression. The session, part of an intensive course of preclinical psychiatry, was delivered online through synchronous videoconferencing with Zoom. The primary outcome measure was change in the Questionnaire on Attitudes and Knowledge of ECT (QuAKE). Results Fifty-three out of 63 (87%) eligible second-year medical students completed assessments at baseline and after exposure to the didactic intervention. QuAKE scores improved between baseline and endpoint: the Attitudes composite increased from 49.4 ± 6.1 to 59.1 ± 5.7 (paired t 10.65, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d 0.69), and the Knowledge composite from 13.3 ± 1.2 to 13.9 ± 0.8 (paired t 3.97, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d 0.23). Conclusions These video-based educational materials proved easy to implement in the virtual classroom, were amenable to adaptation by end-use instructors, were well received by learners, and led to measurable changes in students’ knowledge of and attitudes toward ECT.

Simulation Training in Psychiatry for Medical Education: A Review

“…To reach this consensus and improve the quality and inclusiveness of this library, the group of experts should be multidisciplinary, composed by recognised researchers and experienced practitioners, as well as expert real patients, and medical students. Recent work supports the relevance of skilled video clips of psychiatric SPs depicting psychopathology to teach mental status exam ( 14), sex education in child and adolescent psychiatry (15), electroconvulsive therapy (16). Furthermore, to prevent a rigid and limited portrayal for each mental disorder, this library may include several variations of a given disorder to cover different clinical presentations.…”

“…SPs do enhance the validity of simulations however, including for all other disorders. Digital libraries of videos for medical education could improve this validity, as reported in recent articles (14)(15)(16).…”

Cognitive‐behavioral therapy training for multidisciplinary inpatient psychiatric teams: A novel curriculum using animated simulations

“…Of note, simulation with child actors is possible under clear ethical guidelines (Budd et al, 2020). Simulation‐based videos have been usefully applied to teach affectively charged material in a supportive setting that facilitates psychiatric skill‐building (Drozdowicz et al, 2020; Kitay et al, 2020).…”

Making It Real: From Telling to Showing, Sharing, and Doing in Psychiatric Education

“…Examples from our own work include portrayals of psychiatric: 1) illnesses, as through an archive of mental status exam representations 22 and a related exercise tool for learners to apply their knowledge; 23 and of adolescent depression, 24 with variations underway that incorporate the specific realities of Black and transgender youth, including racism and transphobia, respectively; and 2) interventions, such as electroconvulsive therapy; 25 addressing psychosexual health among adolescents; 13 and on how to optimally "prescribe" AA/NA in the care of patients with substance use disorders. 43 Videotaped materials are inherently applied in an asynchronous way that takes the patient to the learner, an educational disruption of location that complements patient-centered learning.…”