Effectiveness of a One-day Simulation-based Program in Psychiatry for Medical Students: A Controlled Study

Abstract

Background: Training in psychiatry requires specific knowledge, attitudes, and skills that are obtainable by simulation, which needs further development for medical students. After an analysis of previous research with medical students, we evaluated the effectiveness of a one-day teaching program in psychiatry by simulation and validated a scale measuring Confidence in Psychiatric Clinical Skills (CPCQ). Methods: The population was recruited during the 2019-2020 academic year among the 131 fifth-year undergraduate students at the French University of Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines-Paris Saclay (the year of compulsory psychiatric training). A controlled study compared knowledge (university grades on the entire national program of psychiatry) and confidence (CPCQ scores) between a control group who received the usual psychiatric instruction and the simulation group who also participated in the simulation program. In the simulation group, satisfaction (including the quality of the debriefing) was investigated. The CPCQ scale was validated by assessing the factor structure, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability.Results: All fifth-year undergraduate medical students were included: 24 in the simulation group (voluntarily recruited) and 76 in the control group. Their knowledge did not differ before the simulation. After the simulation, knowledge and confidence increased significantly in the simulation group. Two months after the simulation, knowledge and confidence were significantly higher in the simulation group. Satisfaction with the training and debriefing was very high. The CPCQ scale showed good psychometric properties: a single-factor structure, acceptable internal consistency (α=0.73 [0.65 - 0.85]), and good test-retest reliability (ICC=0.71 [0.35 - 0.88]).Several limits were discussed.Conclusions: Adding a one-day simulation program in psychiatry to the usual teaching improved the knowledge and confidence of medical students even 2 months after. The CPCQ scale could be used for the evaluation of educational programs.