6.9 Piloting a Video Lecture Series to Improve Training of Future Psychiatrists in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Major gaps exist in training psychiatry residents in the care of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), leaving trainees unprepared to manage these groups' significant mental health needs. To address these gaps, this pilot study assessed whether educational videos could improve knowledge, interest, and comfort in treating these populations among general psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) trainees. Nine video lectures on the fundamentals of ASD/ID were developed by the AACAP Autism and Intellectual Disability Committee Training Workgroup, whose members have extensive expertise in ASD/ID. Program directors (PDs) of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-approved general and CAP programs were invited to enroll in an IRB-approved study to incorporate these videos in their curriculum during the 2019-2020 academic year. Videos were shared with PDs online. Before and after each video, trainees completed brief online surveys on knowledge, interest, and comfort with ASD/ID topics. PDs completed a baseline survey on their trainees' experience in ASD/ID and a follow-up survey on the videos’ effectiveness. Independent samples t tests compared PD ratings of general and CAP trainees. Paired t tests compared trainees’ pre- and postvideo responses. PDs from 25 (10%) of general and 25 (18%) of CAP programs enrolled. At baseline, CAP PDs rated their trainees as having more interest (t36 = 2.07; p = 0.046) and skill (t36 = 3.92; p < 0.001) in patient care for ASD but not ID. Among 34 programs with trainee responses, both general (n = 186) and CAP (n = 89) trainees' knowledge improved after lectures on phenomenology, assessment, pharmacology, and school intervention, with moderate to large effect sizes (Cohen’s d = 0.49-1.39; p < 0.05). General but not CAP trainees endorsed greater comfort with patients with ASD and ID after these lectures (p < 0.05). Neither group endorsed more interest in working with these populations. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 = excellent), PDs' ratings of video quality and benefit (mean ± SD) were 4.33 ± 1.04 and 4.23 ± 1.04, respectively. Video lectures improved trainees’ knowledge and comfort in working with patients with ASD and ID. Disseminating expert-developed videos in ASD/ID is an accessible strategy to nationally enhance training in this underserved area of psychiatry.