The Current State and Need for Education in Transplant Psychiatry

Abstract

Objective: The Authors Examined The Perceived Adequacy Of Current Training In Transplant Psychiatry (TP). Methods: An anonymous web-based survey was distributed to all US Psychiatry Residency programs (N=182) and Psychosomatic Medicine Fellowship programs (N=46). Results: Sixty one (33.5%) Psychiatry Residency Directors and 24 (52%) Directors of Psychosomatic Medicine completed the survey. Sixty eight percent of Psychiatry Residency programs do not provide specific TP training and 79.4% of residents had never performed a TP evaluation. Among the Psychosomatic Medicine Programs, 91.3% provide TP training; however only 14.3% of fellows are involved in TP evaluations. Giving the news of a negative determination of eligibility was listed as a main source of anxiety about TP. 68.6% of the PRD considered more training in TP necessary, specifically regarding medication interactions and substance abuse issues. Conclusions: Given this perceived need, psychiatry and psychosomatic medicine residency and fellowship programs should consider supplementing their existing curricula with more TP-related training.