Effectiveness of blended versus fully digital training in primary care psychiatry: A retrospective comparison from India
Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice, Dec 15, 2022
Objectives: We compared effectiveness of blended mode (consisting of traditional classroom teachi... more Objectives: We compared effectiveness of blended mode (consisting of traditional classroom teaching and e-learning sessions) and fully digital mode (e-learning sessions alone) of primary care psychiatry training for primary care doctors in Chhattisgarh. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively compared the engagement in training, knowledge (K), attitude (A), and practice (P) in primary care psychiatry, and patient identification by primary care doctors (n = 941) from Chhattisgarh region who underwent training through either blended training mode (n = 546) or fully digital training mode (n = 395) for 16 h each, using Clinical Schedules for Primary Care Psychiatry based modules between June 2019 and November 2020 with a tertiary care center (NIMHANS, Bengaluru) as hub. Statistical Analysis: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 27 was used to analyze the data. Continuous variables were analyzed using the independent samples t-test, and discrete variables were analyzed using the Chi-square test. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) (two-way mixed design) was used to see the interaction of training type and time of pre- and post-KAP measurement while controlling for years of experience. The number of patients identified by both training groups over 8 months was also compared using the repeated measures ANOVA (two-way mixed design). Results: Engagement inferred by the number of participants completing pre-KAP forms (75%), post-KAP forms (43%), post-session assessments (37– 47%), case presentation (33.9%), and certification (32.1%) was better in the blended group (P < 0.05). The mean gain in KAP scores was significantly higher in the blended group controlling for the years of experience as primary care doctor (PCD) (F = 30.36, P < 0.001). PCDs in the blended training group consistently identified a higher number of patients with mental illness over 8 months of follow-up (F = 6.21, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The blended mode yielded better results in primary care psychiatry training compared to fully digital mode. In-person interactions while provided for a very brief proportion of the training seem to have an unmistakable imprint on the outcomes and seem critical for better consolidation and assimilation of information, which translates into better practice.
Uploads
Books by Satish Suhas
through 24X7 tele-mental health counselling services as a digital component of the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP and its operational arm, the District Mental Health Program/DMHP) across all Indian States and UTs with assured linkages. This guide introduces the toolkit to be used by the facilitators in training the Tele MANAS
Counsellors. It will help to shed light on the methodology, focus, and techniques in teaching the modules to the trainers. We recommend reading this manual before training the Tele-MANAS Counsellors. A brief overview of the topics covered in each of the modules - Modules 1 to 22 - includes a brief description of what is to be taught.
Telepsychiatry law reforms can unlock this transformative practice’s full potential by addressing emerging challenges, ensuring ethical practice, and facilitating seamless integration with existing healthcare systems. As societies recognize the importance of mental health and the role of
telepsychiatry in addressing it, these reforms will play a pivotal role in shaping a more accessible, equitable, and effective mental healthcare landscape for generations to come.
personality disorders, as well as a number of other diagnostic constructs such as attention deficit disorder, emotionally unstable personality disorder. These disorders and temperaments tend to co-occur with a broad overlap in their symptomatology. While traditional diagnostic principles frown upon such lumping together, recent approaches have tried to rationalize such overlaps by discovering that psychiatric symptoms can be reduced to higher-order dimensions like the Externalizing, Internalizing and Psychotic domains.
The Externalizing domain is marked by conditions where psychological distress is expressed outwardly, as opposed to internalizing disorders where distress is inwardly directed. Even this distinction is not clear cut in the real world, where there is a wide overlap between Externalizing
disorders and common, co-existing presentations of depression-anxiety.
Papers by Satish Suhas