Experiences and attitudes of early career psychiatrists towards ECT – an international study

TL;DR

Early career psychiatrists view ECT as effective and safe but report limited training opportunities and a need for more education.

Contribution

The study reveals the attitudes and training gaps of early career psychiatrists regarding ECT on an international scale.

Findings

Most early career psychiatrists consider ECT effective and safe and would recommend it when appropriate.

Over half of participants reported no ECT training during their residency.

Respondents expressed strong interest in improving their ECT knowledge and skills.

Abstract

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a psychiatric intervention that has proven effectiveness and safety in various psychiatric conditions, such as major depressive disorder, prolonged or severe manic episodes and catatonia. Despite positive scientific evidence, ECT was always seen as controversial by patients, caregivers, and even some psychiatrists, which lead to a decrease in its use over the years.

To investigate the way young psychiatrists view the place of ECT in modern psychiatry by assessing their knowledge, attitude and access to training opportunities in ECT.

An anonymous survey was disseminated online among early career psychiatrists and psychiatric trainees. The questionnaire consisted of 36 multiple-choice and Likert scale questions.

Most of our respondents consider ECT both an effective and a safe treatment option and would recommend ECT to their patients when indicated. Early career psychiatrists who had access to ECT training are more knowledgeable about the indications, precautions and side effects of this method, but more than half of the participants mentioned ECT training was unavailable during their residency programme. Almost all respondents stated that they are interested in enhancing their theoretical and practical competencies in ECT.

Early career psychiatrists have a positive attitude towards ECT but express the need of targeted education aimed at improving levels of knowledge about ECT.

None Declared