Attitudes and Confidence in the Integration of Psychiatry Scale

The authors sought to measure attitudes and confidence in the integration of psychiatry into other fields of medicine.

The Attitudes and Confidence in Integration of Psychiatry in Medicine (ACIP) scale was developed through discussion with content experts across disciplines and pilot testing of items and administered to third- and fourth-year medical students at University of Iowa, University of Michigan, Rush University for validation, focused on assessment of variability, internal consistency, factor structure, and test-retest reliability.

A total of 310 medical students completed the survey (35% participation rate). The scale had a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88) and was without ceiling or floor effects. Students rated the integration of psychiatry into the practice of surgery and its subspecialties as less relevant than its integration into other specialties; however, scores were not biased by students' interest in procedural vs. non-procedural specialties. Test-retest reliability was high (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90).

The ACIP may serve a useful role in determining the outcome of educational efforts toward integrated care.