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Fiorillo A, Javed A. Education and training in psychiatry in low- and middle-income countries during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Asia Pac Psychiatry 2021; 13:e12500. [PMID: 34873838 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Fiorillo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.,Chair, WPA Section on Education in Psychiatry, World Psychiatric Association
| | - Afzal Javed
- WPA President, World Psychiatric Association (WPA), Geneva, Switzerland
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Sampogna G, Fiorillo A, Wasserman D. How to improve the quality of World Psychiatric Association educational activities? Results from an online survey with World Psychiatric Association zonal representatives. Asia Pac Psychiatry 2021; 13:e12497. [PMID: 34873846 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The World Psychiatric Association (WPA), a global association representing 145 psychiatric societies in 121 countries, has a specific focus on education and learning, promoting educational programs on a regular basis. Education in mental health is a continuously evolving phenomenon, although it happens quite often that it is still based on a knowledge formed in the last century and with the latest scientific updates mainly available in English. The WPA is constantly committed in improving and updating the type of educational materials available and ready to be disseminated worldwide. METHODS An online survey has been developed and sent to the 18 WPA zonal representatives in order: to evaluate the educational needs for mental health, to translate materials into native languages or inclusivity, and to prioritize educational activities to be developed by the WPA in the next years. RESULTS Fifteen out of the 18 zonal representatives participated in the study. According to the public mental health perspective, collaboration with general practitioners (GPs) (80%), communities/stakeholders (66.7%) and programs for promoting mental health in schools (53.3%) are the most prioritized activities carried out. Programs for suicide prevention (86.7%) and promotion of mental health and well-being in the general population (66.7%) are considered as the most relevant to be implemented. From the healthcare perspective, new knowledge on pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions (73%) was requested. The educational packages are mostly available in the English language, although respondents prioritize the translation of WPA educational material into, at least, Spanish and French. The most preferred formats for educational activities are webinar live (80%) and key opinion lectures (66.7%). CONCLUSIONS These findings represent the first step in the continuing promotion of education carried out by the WPA. We aim to run these kinds of initiatives from time to time in order to adapt themes and topics of these materials to the real educational needs of all mental healthcare professionals worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Sampogna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
| | - Andrea Fiorillo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.,Chair WPA Section on Education in Psychiatry, World Psychiatric Association, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Danuta Wasserman
- National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,WPA President Elect, World Psychiatric Association, Geneva, Switzerland
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Baessler F, Sartorius N, Javed A, Tasman A, Coskun B, Frydecka D, Kazakova O, Sampogna G, Zhabenko O, Koelkebeck K, Hepdurgun C, Zafar A, Fiorillo A. Training the trainers: Finding new educational opportunities in the virtual world. Asia Pac Psychiatry 2021; 13:e12499. [PMID: 34873842 DOI: 10.1111/appy.12499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted scientific gatherings and conferences, opening up opportunities for virtual learning platforms. Realizing the potential of online academic exchanges, the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) also developed virtual avenues and information systems for capacity building of mental health professionals across the world. Among its first such initiatives, the WPA organized a virtual Train the Trainers workshop, where 123 psychiatrists, psychiatric trainees, and educators from 45 countries participated. The innovative and interactive workshop allowed participants to get to know each other, exchange educational and professional experiences, and ask questions or receive advice from experts. Keynote speakers, including WPA President Prof. Afzal Javed and Prof. Norman Sartorius, stressed upon the importance of finding innovative solutions in psychiatry training and the need to improve teaching and training in the field of psychiatry, especially in the provision of leadership and communication skills. Online training methods can provide easy access to academics and students while reducing the organizational and logistical costs. They have the potential to improve educational equality and allow the voice of the underprivileged scientists to be heard across the globe. The devastating impact on access to mental health services during COVID-19 underscores the urgent need for online training, particularly in countries where the ratio of psychiatrists to patients is inadequate and doctors concentrate more on treatment than on research and education. Virtual educational interventions could prove incredibly useful in the future just as they are being successfully utilized in local and regional contexts during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Baessler
- Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General, Internal and Psychosomatic Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Norman Sartorius
- Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes (AMH), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Afzal Javed
- Pakistan Psychiatric Research Centre, Fountain House, Lahore, Pakistan
| | - Allan Tasman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Bulent Coskun
- Association for Community Mental Health Promotion, Kocaeli, Turkey
| | - Dorota Frydecka
- Department of Psychiatry, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Olga Kazakova
- Master's Programme in Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Gaia Sampogna
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Katja Koelkebeck
- LVR-Hospital Essen, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Cenan Hepdurgun
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey
| | - Ali Zafar
- Center for Psychosocial Medicine, Department of General, Internal and Psychosomatic Medicine, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.,Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andrea Fiorillo
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania L. Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy
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Schulze TG. The WPA Education, Science, Publication, and Research Initiative (ESPRI): jumpstarting scientific projects in low- and middle-income countries. World Psychiatry 2020; 19:123-124. [PMID: 31922685 PMCID: PMC6953573 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Thomas G Schulze
- WPA Secretary for Scientific Sections, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics (IPPG), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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