Impact of psychiatry clinical rotation on attitude of interns towards psychiatry

Abstract

Background: Internship is a vital phase in medical student’s training which can have a bearing on the attitude they develop towards various specialities. Limited 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. Aim: To study the change in attitude of interns towards Psychiatry before and after clinical rotation in Psychiatry. Materials and Methods: The study sample comprised of 100 interns in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Written informed consent was taken from the interns before the study. Appropriate ethical approval procedures were followed while taking consent from subjects and also in conducting the research. Attitude towards Psychiatry-30 was used to assess the attitude of interns towards Psychiatry before and after a 2 week Psychiatry rotation. Semi structured questionnaire was filled by interns regarding socio-demographic details and views about psychiatry. Non parametric tests were used to analyze the data obtained using SPSS software. Results: This study showed favourable improvements in the ATP-30 score following exposure to the clinical rotation. There was a statistically significant change in mean difference of total global ATP 30 scores in males and females. Female gender found to have more positive attitude than males. The responses to 11 statements from ATP -30 scale showed statistically significant improvement after the posting. Conclusion: 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. Keywords: Attitude, Interns, Psychiatry, ATP-30.