Factors influencing medical students and psychiatry residents in Ghana to consider psychiatry as a career option - a qualitative study.
Careers
incentives
medical students
psychiatry
risk
stigma
Journal
Global mental health (Cambridge, England)
ISSN: 2054-4251
Titre abrégé: Glob Ment Health (Camb)
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101659641
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
2020
2020
Historique:
received:
05
01
2020
revised:
19
09
2020
accepted:
06
10
2020
entrez:
25
1
2021
pubmed:
26
1
2021
medline:
26
1
2021
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
Currently, Ghana has 14 actively practicing psychiatrists and about 26 psychiatric residents for a population of over 28 million people. Previous research suggests a lack of interest by Ghanaian medical students and medical graduates in considering psychiatry as a career option. To examine the perception of medical students and psychiatry residents in Ghana about the barriers which hinder Ghanaian medical graduates from choosing careers in psychiatry and how these barriers could be overcome. This was a cross-sectional qualitative study with data gathered using focus group discussion. Twenty clinical year medical students were selected through block randomization from the four public medical schools in Ghana and invited to participate in one of two focus group discussions. Also, four psychiatric residents were invited to participate in the focus group discussions. The main barriers identified by participants could be grouped under four main themes, namely: (a) myths and stigma surrounding mental health and patients, (b) negative perceptions of psychiatrists, (c) infrastructure and funding issues, (d) lack of exposure and education. To address the barriers presented, participants discussed potential solutions that could be categorized into five main themes, namely: (a) stigma reduction, (b) educating professionals, (c) addressing deficient infrastructure, (d) risk management, and (e) incentivizing the pursuit of psychiatry among students. Health policy planners and medical training institutions could consider implementing proposed solutions to identify barriers as part of efforts to improve the psychiatrist to patient ratio in Ghana.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
BACKGROUND
Currently, Ghana has 14 actively practicing psychiatrists and about 26 psychiatric residents for a population of over 28 million people. Previous research suggests a lack of interest by Ghanaian medical students and medical graduates in considering psychiatry as a career option.
OBJECTIVES
OBJECTIVE
To examine the perception of medical students and psychiatry residents in Ghana about the barriers which hinder Ghanaian medical graduates from choosing careers in psychiatry and how these barriers could be overcome.
METHODS
METHODS
This was a cross-sectional qualitative study with data gathered using focus group discussion. Twenty clinical year medical students were selected through block randomization from the four public medical schools in Ghana and invited to participate in one of two focus group discussions. Also, four psychiatric residents were invited to participate in the focus group discussions.
RESULTS
RESULTS
The main barriers identified by participants could be grouped under four main themes, namely: (a) myths and stigma surrounding mental health and patients, (b) negative perceptions of psychiatrists, (c) infrastructure and funding issues, (d) lack of exposure and education. To address the barriers presented, participants discussed potential solutions that could be categorized into five main themes, namely: (a) stigma reduction, (b) educating professionals, (c) addressing deficient infrastructure, (d) risk management, and (e) incentivizing the pursuit of psychiatry among students.
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSIONS
Health policy planners and medical training institutions could consider implementing proposed solutions to identify barriers as part of efforts to improve the psychiatrist to patient ratio in Ghana.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33489247
doi: 10.1017/gmh.2020.24
pii: S2054425120000242
pmc: PMC7786269
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Pagination
e31Informations de copyright
© The Author(s) 2020.
Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts
All authors declare that there are no competing interests.
Références
Acad Psychiatry. 2015 Jun;39(3):246-52
pubmed: 25583402
Acad Psychiatry. 2019 Apr;43(2):180-183
pubmed: 30267363
World Psychiatry. 2017 Feb;16(1):50-61
pubmed: 28127931
Int J Qual Health Care. 2015 Oct;27(5):377-83
pubmed: 26251476
Sch Psychol Int. 2017 Aug;38(4):380-397
pubmed: 29081558
Acad Psychiatry. 2012 May 1;36(3):229-32
pubmed: 22751828
BMC Psychiatry. 2002 Oct 01;2:10
pubmed: 12359045
Nurs Inq. 2017 Oct;24(4):
pubmed: 28421661
Perm J. 2017;21:17-024
pubmed: 28898197
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2006 Jan;40(1):51-4
pubmed: 16403038
BMC Psychiatry. 2015 May 07;15:105
pubmed: 25947280
Acad Psychiatry. 2020 Apr;44(2):179-183
pubmed: 31858445
BMC Psychiatry. 2017 Jul 28;17(1):276
pubmed: 28754157
Med Teach. 2009 Jul;31(7):e303-10
pubmed: 19811138
Acad Psychiatry. 2006 Mar-Apr;30(2):144-9
pubmed: 16609121
Global Health. 2016 Oct 1;12(1):57
pubmed: 27716339
J Emerg Trauma Shock. 2017 Jan-Mar;10(1):4-6
pubmed: 28243005
Glob Health Action. 2015 Oct 09;8:28955
pubmed: 26455492
Health Policy Plan. 2016 Jun;31(5):645-55
pubmed: 26608584
Indian J Psychiatry. 2011 Oct;53(4):324-9
pubmed: 22303041
Healthc Manage Forum. 2017 Mar;30(2):111-116
pubmed: 28929889
Mcgill J Med. 2009 Jan;12(1):7-12
pubmed: 19753292
Eur Psychiatry. 2015 Mar;30(3):423-30
pubmed: 25735809
Front Psychiatry. 2018 Mar 12;9:49
pubmed: 29593577
Glob Ment Health (Camb). 2016 May 10;3:e17
pubmed: 28596886
Hum Resour Health. 2015 Jul 09;13:56
pubmed: 26156234
World Psychiatry. 2006 Oct;5(3):179-84
pubmed: 17139355
Australas Psychiatry. 2010 Aug;18(4):348-53
pubmed: 20645902
Ethiop J Health Sci. 2017 May;27(3):207-214
pubmed: 29217919
Adv Health Sci Educ Theory Pract. 2007 Feb;12(1):87-101
pubmed: 17115252