Setting Common Standards for Reproductive Psychiatry Education: Effectiveness of the National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry

Objective The National Curriculum in Reproductive Psychiatry (NCRP) provides standardized education for psychiatry residency training programs. The authors hypothesized that residents' preparedness to treat reproductive psychiatric concerns and their medical knowledge would improve following teaching with the NCRP. Methods Pre- and post-assessments were administered to residents enrolled in two waves of pilot NCRP training (Early-Modules and All-Modules). Data were collected by individual survey, and pre- and post-responses matched via anonymous ID. Statistical analyses were conducted using R version 3.5.3 and included paired Student's t-tests and a chi-square test. Results Thirty-eight residents completed the Early-Modules survey and 16 the All-Modules survey. In both groups, there was significant improvement in preparedness to treat pregnant and postpartum women with mental illness (p<0.05). Scores on the 29-point knowledge test rose by 2.5 points in the Early-Modules group and 4.3 points in the All-Modules group (p<0.001 for both). In both cohorts, a majority of residents felt reproductive psychiatry was among the top three specialties needed to become competent independent adult psychiatrists. Conclusions Classroom training with local faculty using a standardized curriculum is feasible and results in substantial and significant improvements in both feelings of preparedness and medical knowledge. Psychiatry trainees view training in reproductive psychiatry as an important and missing aspect of their education. Dissemination of a standardized curriculum may help to forge a path toward subspecialty certification for reproductive psychiatry, and can be used as a model for other specialties.