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Changes in Attitudes and Confidence in the Integration of Psychiatry in Other Areas of Medicine

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Abstract

Objective

The authors describe how attitudes and confidence in the integration of psychiatry into other areas of medicine change over time during clinical clerkship in medical school.

Methods

From January 2015 to December 2016, medical students from the University of Iowa were recruited for a prospective study of changes in the Attitudes and Confidence in the Integration of Psychiatry Scale (ACIP) scale. The survey instrument was completed before their psychiatry clerkship, after the clerkship, and at the end of the year following that and other clinical clerkships. Other information such as gender, time spent in clerkship, USMLE Step 1 score, and clerkship grades was also collected.

Results

A total of 172 surveys were completed by 138 students. The ACIP score was significantly higher at the end of the participants’ clinical clerkship (67.2 to 76.6; t=−7.72, p<0.0001). Of the two ACIP subscales, confidence increased significantly (25.6 to 33.3; t=−9.82, p<0.0001), but attitudes toward integration of psychiatry did not (41.7 to 43.4; t=−1.96, p=0.059). Similar findings were seen in the subset of 34 students for whom pre- and post-clerkship data could be matched.

Conclusions

At the end of their clinical clerkship, medical students feel more confident providing psychiatric care. The lack of significant increase in the ACIP scale’s attitude subscale either demonstrates that attitude scores going into clerkship were already high and did not deteriorate, or highlights an area for clerkship curriculum development.

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Acknowledgements

The authors have informed the journal that they agree both Nicholas Fabiano and Stanley Wong completed the intellectual and other work typical of the first author. The authors would like to thank Mary Blazek and Bezalel Dantz for their contributions to the study design.

Funding

University of Iowa, Department of Psychiatry

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Nicholas Fabiano, Stanley Wong & Jess G Fiedorowicz

  2. Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Anthony Miller

  3. College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA

    Zhuangzhuang Liu

  4. Clinical Epidemiology and Neuroscience Programs, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada

    Jess G Fiedorowicz

  5. University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada

    Jess G Fiedorowicz

Authors
  1. Nicholas Fabiano
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  2. Stanley Wong
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  3. Anthony Miller
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  4. Zhuangzhuang Liu
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  5. Jess G Fiedorowicz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jess G Fiedorowicz.

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An exemption information sheet was obtained for this study (IRB ID: 201412713)

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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Fabiano, N., Wong, S., Miller, A. et al. Changes in Attitudes and Confidence in the Integration of Psychiatry in Other Areas of Medicine. Acad Psychiatry 46, 593–598 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-022-01670-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40596-022-01670-9

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