Residents-as-teachers programs in psychiatry: a systematic review.
OBJECTIVE
Because psychiatry residents have important roles as teachers and significant opportunities to contribute to medical student education, we set out to: identify all randomized control trials (RCT) for residents' teaching skills programs in psychiatry and to identify the efficacy of those interventions for improving teaching skills; identify the strengths and weaknesses of the available studies across medical disciplines; and identify currently available methods for enhancing residents' teaching skills for residents training in psychiatry.


METHODS
The published English-language literature was searched using PubMed, Social Sciences Index, and PsycINFO databases, with key search words including: residents, teaching skills, residents as teachers, psychiatry, and assessments. Both RCT and controlled, nonrandomized trials of residents' teaching programs directed to enhance residents' teaching skills were selected and critically appraised.


RESULTS
Of 13 trials identified and reviewed, most included residents in internal medicine. Only one included psychiatry residents and assessed their ability to teach interviewing skills to medical students. Along with other studies, this study demonstrated improvement in residents' teaching skills. Overall, interventions and outcome measures were heterogeneous while the quality of methodologies varied. Five studies were of higher quality, representing examples of quality educational research. Several described group differences, blinding, good follow-up, and use of valid, reliable tools.


CONCLUSIONS
Only one trial exists that incorporated psychiatry residents. Significant opportunity to advance educational research in this field exists. Psychiatry residency program directors should incorporate high-quality methodologies and can benefit from the findings of trials in other disciplines.
Dewey
Charlene M
CM
Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Office of Teaching and Learning in Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-0432, USA. charlene.dewey@vanderbilt.edu
Coverdale
John H
JH
Ismail
Nadia J
NJ
Culberson
John W
JW
Thompson
Britta M
BM
Patton
Cynthia S
CS
Friedland
Joan A
JA
D004493:Education; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*