BASE Laboratory, Cluster of Competence on Health and Environment, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco.
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Mohammed VI University of Sciences and Health, Casablanca, Morocco.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Sep 3;24(1):958. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-05825-0.
Mental health is considered a major public health issue. Non-psychiatric physicians often engage in the treatment of mental disorders. The aim of this study was to describe psychiatric drug prescription knowledge and practices among non-psychiatric specialists and evaluate their training needs.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from September 1st to October 15th, 2021, in 3 Moroccan healthcare facilities and among private practitioners in Kenitra. We asked non-psychiatric specialists about their knowledge and current practices regarding psychotropic drugs, and their needs in psychiatric training.
The study included a total of 150 participants. The majority of participants demonstrated insufficient knowledge regarding the selection of psychotropic drugs and the duration of pharmacotherapy. Specifically, 61.3% were unaware of the average duration of treatment for depression. 22.7% of participants did not feel comfortable when prescribing psychotropic drugs. Anxiolytics were the most commonly prescribed class of psychotropic drugs, accounting for 30.7% of prescriptions. The most common indications for psychotropic drugs prescription were anxiety (35.3%), followed by insomnia (34.7%) and depression (31.3%). The majority of participants (72%) reported receiving clinical training in psychiatry, with 74.7% expressing varying levels of satisfaction with their undergraduate psychiatry training, while 7.3% expressed dissatisfaction. Regarding CME, only 11.3% of participants engaged in at least one psychiatry-related CME session in the past two years. 54.7% of participants expressed interest in expanding their knowledge of prescribing psychotropic drugs. Around 40% of participants preferred trainings in psychotropic drugs prescription related to their specialty, while 34% were not interested in receiving further training.
Our study shows gaps in knowledge of non-psychiatric specialists, which raises concern regarding their ability to care for mental disorders. Educational efforts should be made to improve teaching of psychiatry from the undergraduate level. Continuing Medical Education should be tailored to the specific needs and preferred learning methods of non-psychiatric physicians.
心理健康被认为是一个主要的公共卫生问题。非精神科医生经常参与治疗精神障碍。本研究的目的是描述非精神科专家在精神药物处方方面的知识和实践，并评估他们的培训需求。
这是一项描述性的横断面研究，于 2021 年 9 月 1 日至 10 月 15 日在摩洛哥的 3 家医疗机构和肯尼特拉的私人从业者中进行。我们询问了非精神科专家关于他们在精神药物方面的知识和当前实践，以及他们在精神科培训方面的需求。
该研究共纳入了 150 名参与者。大多数参与者在选择精神药物和药物治疗持续时间方面的知识不足。具体来说，61.3%的人不知道治疗抑郁症的平均时间。22.7%的参与者在开精神药物处方时感到不舒服。抗焦虑药是最常开的精神药物类别，占处方的 30.7%。开精神药物处方最常见的指征是焦虑（35.3%），其次是失眠（34.7%）和抑郁（31.3%）。大多数参与者（72%）报告接受过精神病学临床培训，74.7%对本科精神病学培训的满意度不同，7.3%表示不满意。关于 CME，只有 11.3%的参与者在过去两年中参加了至少一次与精神病学相关的 CME 课程。54.7%的参与者表示有兴趣扩大他们开精神药物处方的知识。大约 40%的参与者更喜欢与他们的专业相关的精神药物处方培训，而 34%的人对接受进一步培训不感兴趣。
我们的研究表明非精神科专家的知识存在差距，这让人对他们治疗精神障碍的能力感到担忧。应从本科阶段开始努力提高精神病学的教学。继续医学教育应根据非精神科医生的具体需求和首选学习方法进行调整。
