MENTAL HEALTH MEDICAL EDUCATION LEAD: UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND, BRISBANE - PATIENT SIMULATION AS AN EFFECTIVE 'COVID SAFE' TOOL FOR TEACHING MENTAL HEALTH

ABSTRACT

Background: The University of Queensland Medical School Mental Health (MH) curriculum had a large online presence prior to 2020, with interactive learning resources and assessments. However, the teaching of clinical skills such as history-taking and mental state examination was typically conducted through small group-based learning and clinical placement. Objectives: To describe The University of Queensland Medical School MH rotation adaptations to teaching clinical skills to account for appropriate social distancing and lockdown learning. Methods: The benefits and challenges associated with physically distanced and online patient simulation for clinical psychiatric skills will be explored. The organisational requirements will also be detailed. Findings: Online patient simulation sessions, facilitated by psychiatrist tutors, allowed appropriate progression of learning and assessment of clinical skills during times when medical students were unable to undertake clinical placement. Feedback provided by students, tutors and patient simulators did not indicate a difference in quality or tolerability. Additional advantages included allowing for increased consistency of teaching across multiple clinical sites and improvement of telehealth interviewing skills. There were significantly increased tutor time requirements, as well as administrative and financial implications. Conclusion: Future development of MH curriculums, including patient simulation, can be enhanced with the MHMELANZ network.