Promoting mental health competency in residency training

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Medical Education
• Mental Health

Background:

• Pediatric residents often face challenges in managing mental health concerns.
• A structured curriculum is needed to enhance residents' confidence and competence in addressing pediatric mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of a developmental-behavioral pediatrics (DBP) curricular model on residents' comfort levels with pediatric mental health issues.
• To evaluate improvements in residents' ability to identify, treat, and counsel children with mental health conditions.

Main Methods:

• A self-assessment questionnaire was administered to residents at the beginning and end of the DBP rotation.
• Residents used a 5-point scale to rate their comfort in identifying, treating, and counseling mental health problems.
• Data were collected from August 2007 to January 2010 from 94 participating residents.

Main Results:

• All residents reported significant increases in comfort with mental health identification, treatment, and counseling post-rotation (mean comfort increased from 2.1-2.6 to 4.0).
• Initially, categorical pediatric residents and residents who were parents reported higher baseline comfort levels.
• Improvements in comfort were observed across all resident groups, irrespective of their categorical status, parental status, or primary care orientation.

Conclusions:

• The DBP curricular model effectively enhances residents' confidence in managing common mental health issues.
• Increased resident comfort is anticipated to improve the frequency of mental health discussions during well-child visits, facilitating earlier diagnosis and treatment.
• This curriculum serves as a valuable tool for improving pediatric mental healthcare delivery.