Assessment of Brief Online Approaches for Teaching Neuroscience in Psychiatry

The goal of this study was to assess an online collection of brief educational resources (videos, case studies, articles) for teaching a broad range of concepts relating to neuroscience in psychiatry.

A national sample of 52 psychiatrists enrolled in the study. Forty (77%) completed an assessment before and after having access to the educational resources for 4 weeks. Pre- and post-assessments were compared using paired t-tests. Fifteen participants were randomly selected to participate in a semi-structured interview.

The mean knowledge score increased on a multiple-choice quiz from 46.9 to 86.4% (p < .01). Based on a 5-point Likert rating, participants reported significant gains in self-confidence in their ability to integrate a neuroscience perspective into their clinical work (p = .03) and to discuss neuroscience with their patients (p = .008). Participants rated the extent that they applied neuroscience concepts (such as neurotransmitters, genetics, epigenetics, synaptic plasticity, and neural circuitry) to their overall case formulation and treatment plan over the past typical work week and how often they discussed these elements with patients. Significant gains were noted across all elements (p ≤ .001). Overall satisfaction with the resources were high: participants agreed that the content was useful and relevant (100%) and the teaching resources were engaging (95%). On semi-structured interviews, participants appreciated the mixed teaching approaches and the brief format. Many commented on how the resources impacted their clinical practice.

Brief online teaching resources may be an effective approach for enhancing neuroscience education among psychiatrists and may help facilitate the integration of neuroscience into clinical practice.