Attitude of interns towards psychiatry before and after 2 weeks of clinical rotation

Abstract

Background: Internship is an important phase in medical students' training, which can have a bearing on the attitude they develop towards various specialties and illnesses. Very few studies have tried to assess the effect of clinical rotation on the attitude of interns towards Psychiatry. This study was planned to assess the same before and after a 2 week posting in Psychiatry. Aims: To study the change in the attitude of interns towards psychiatry before and after clinical rotation in Psychiatry. Methods: The study sample comprised of 60 interns in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Medical Condition Regard Scale (MCRS) was used to assess the attitude of interns towards Psychiatry before and after a 2 week Psychiatry rotation. Non-parametric tests were used to analyze the data obtained. Results: Many individual items and the overall scores of MCRS showed significant improvement for both psychiatric illness and alcohol and drug dependence after the 2 week Psychiatry rotation. Increase in MCRS score indicates improvement in the attitude towards Psychiatry. Conclusions: The attitude of interns towards Psychiatry improved following a 2 week clinical rotation in Psychiatry. Further studies are needed to better understand the factors that may influence the attitude of interns.