TEACHING CHILD AND ADOLESCENT-PSYCHIATRY TO FAMILY MEDICINE TRAINEES - A PILOT EXPERIENCE

Objectives: To develop learning objectives for teaching child psychiat ry to family medicine trainees and to evaluate the best method of teac hing these objectives. Method: For this descriptive study, knowledge, attitude, and skill objectives were presented to trainees at the start of a 6-month rotation, and an evaluation mechanism was developed base d on the learning objectives. The method of instruction in each of the training locations was described independently by the child psychiatr y consultant and attending family physician. The trainees' evaluations were presented according to training locations. Results: Family medic ine trainees perceived the teaching-consultation method, with live int erviews, to be the most helpful and the didactic lecture format to be least helpful. Conclusion: The importance of teaching family medicine residents to recognize mental health problems in children and adolesce nts, preferably by using live interviews, and the implications for pos tresidency practice are emphasized.