Changes in attitudes toward psychiatry with introduction of a new curriculum: experiences of a Sri Lankan medical school

Abstract

BACKGROUND A Sri Lankan university recently changed its medical undergraduate curriculum by including a multifaceted psychiatry clerkship for final year students. Aims We investigated the effect of introducing an eightweek clinical rotation on career choice and attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry as a discipline. METHOD One hundred medical students completed the Attitudes Towards Psychiatry (ATP-30) questionnaire before and after the final year psychiatry clerkship. RESULTS This study showed favourable improvements in the ATP-30 score following exposure to the professorial clerkship. Significant increase was noted in the desire to pursue a career in psychiatry. CONCLUSION Exposure to a psychiatry clerkship in the final year could improve the attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry.