The use of brief interventions to facilitate attitudinal changes in medical students
| Pages | 13-18 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5042/jmhtep.2010.0361 |
| Date | 19 July 2010 |
| Published date | 19 July 2010 |
| Author | Hany El‐Sayeh,Godfrey Pell,Simon Budd,Charlotte Heaps,Naomi Quinton,Vikram Jha |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
13
The use of brief interventions to
facilitate attitudinal changes in
medical students
Abstract
There have been long-standing difficulties with the
recruitment of medical students into psychiatry.
One of the reasons for this may be the perceived
stigma attached to the profession. The aim of this
paper is to assess whether a brief intervention
could help to alter attitudes towards psychiatry
in students undertaking clinical attachments with
psychiat ry componen ts. An evide nce-based
intervention was delivered to fourth year medical
students. Their attitudes towards the specialty were
measured with the ATP-30 questionnaire in order
to establish any effect. The intervention may have
been associated with a temporary improvement
in attitudes, which attenuated during the course
of their clinical pla cements. Unexpecte dly, it
appeared that placements themselves may have
contributed to a negative impact. Female students
and those from a healthcare background were
more likely to have positive views. Although single
brief interventions may have only a limited effect in
combating stigma in medical student’s attitudes,
placement experience appears to play a significant
role, which requires further study.
Key words
clinica l ed ucation; per sonal charact eristics ;
attitudes
Background
There is documented e vidence of diff iculties wi th
recruitme nt and reten tion of psychiatris ts in the
United Kingdom (UK) (Pidd, 2003). The Royal College
of Psychiatrists’ (2005) Census estimated that there
were approximately two to four per cent of substantive
consultant posts in the UK that remained unfilled.
In addition, at training level , only six per cent of
trainees were UK medical graduates (The Royal College
of Psychiatrists, 2005). School students o ften r eport
interest in psychiatry as a potential career (Maidment et
Hany George El-Sayeh
Consultant Psychiatrist, North Yorkshire and York PCT, and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Psychiatry,
University of Leeds, UK
Godfrey Pell
Statistician, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, UK
Simon Budd
Clinical Lecturer in Psychiatry Sciences, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, UK
Charlotte Heaps
Honorary Lecturer in Psychiatry, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, UK
Naomi Quinton
Lecturer in Medical Education, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, UK
Vikram Jha
Senior Lecturer in Medical Education, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, UK
The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice Volume 5 Issue 2 June 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd
10.5042/jmhtep.2010.0361
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