Teaching integrated behavioral health in a primary care clerkship.
BACKGROUND
Most behavioral health care is actually delivered by primary care physicians. Primary care clerkship students have a unique opportunity to learn about behavioral health and the integrated care model. Integrated care is an effective multidisciplinary model for delivering high quality care.


OBJECTIVE
Evaluate the efficacy of a brief curriculum in increasing students' knowledge regarding common behavioral health issues.


METHODS
We designed an interactive, 90-minute curriculum to introduce students to the unique model of integrated care, and to build skills in addressing a number of common behavioral health issues. Each problem is presented from both the medical and behavioral perspective. We evaluated this intervention with a pre- and post-clerkship test assessing knowledge regarding behavioral health care.


RESULTS
There was significant improvement on the overall score and on seven of eight individual questions.


CONCLUSIONS
This curriculum is an effective intervention for introducing integrated care and increasing knowledge of several common behavioral problems.
Zoberi
Kimberly
K
Department of Community & Family Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
Niemiec
Ryan M
RM
Margolis
Ronald B
RB
D001524:Behavioral Medicine / Q000193:education*; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D003479:Curriculum; D006801:Humans; D011320:Primary Health Care; D013663:Teaching