A teaching guide for electroconvulsive therapy

Concern has been raised regarding the erratic and sometimes less than adequate teaching of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) to health professionals. The development of standardized curricula will ultimately improve the quality of care for patients receiving ECT and help to minimize the myths and misinformation clinicians have regarding ECT. An outline for teaching ECT is presented that covers the following areas: preconceptions, history, patient selection, conditions of increased risk, medical and neurological side effects, memory issues, technical aspects, electrode placement, clinical problems, management of the post-ECT course, legal and ethical issues, mechanisms of action, and educational issues. This outline can be expanded to encompass up to a 6-hour course for psychiatric residents, or compressed to provide the basics to nursing, medical, or pharmacy students.