Scholarlink

Background <p>Mental disorders represent a major global health burden, yet undergraduate psychiatric training in many low- and middle-income countries remain suboptimal. In Nigeria, misalignment between regulatory frameworks and international best practices has limited the prioritisation of psychiatry in medical education.</p> Aims <p>To provide a nationwide overview of undergraduate psychiatric training, structure and assessment methods in Nigerian medical schools.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional survey of accredited Nigerian medical schools was conducted between June and July 2024 using a 28-item questionnaire administered electronically to psychiatric departmental heads or lecturers. Descriptive analysis was performed using STATA 17.0.</p> Results <p>Of 48 accredited medical schools, 40 (83.3%) had psychiatric lecturers who could complete the questionnaire, while 39 participated (response rate: 97.5%). Standalone departments of psychiatry were present in 64.1% of schools, although nearly half employed only one to three psychiatrists. Most schools (76.9%) offered no psychiatric teaching in the preclinical years, and 94.9% had no independent assessment of behavioural sciences. During the clinical years, 46.2% provided four weeks of psychiatric clerkship, while only 15.4% met the WHO recommended eight weeks. Emergency and community psychiatric exposure was largely absent. Although 59.0% of schools used OSCE/OSPE for clinical assessment, only 28.2% conducted psychiatry as a standalone examination, and just 17.9% allocated full independent weighting (100%) at the final MBBS level.</p> Conclusion <p>Undergraduate psychiatric training in Nigerian medical schools remains insufficient in scope, duration, and priority, with substantial variability across institutions. Harmonised and enforceable regulatory reforms aligned with international best practices are urgently needed to strengthen psychiatric education and improve mental health competencies of future doctors.</p> Trial registration <p>The study was approved by the Institutional Review Committee of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital with approval protocol number KWASUTH/IRC/246/VOL.II/106.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

The structure of undergraduate psychiatric medical education in Nigerian medical schools

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月20日

查看全文
  • Olatunji Alao Abiodun,
  • Peter Omoniyi Ajiboye,
  • Mumeen Olaitan Salihu,
  • Dauda Sulyman

摘要

Background

Mental disorders represent a major global health burden, yet undergraduate psychiatric training in many low- and middle-income countries remain suboptimal. In Nigeria, misalignment between regulatory frameworks and international best practices has limited the prioritisation of psychiatry in medical education.

Aims

To provide a nationwide overview of undergraduate psychiatric training, structure and assessment methods in Nigerian medical schools.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey of accredited Nigerian medical schools was conducted between June and July 2024 using a 28-item questionnaire administered electronically to psychiatric departmental heads or lecturers. Descriptive analysis was performed using STATA 17.0.

Results

Of 48 accredited medical schools, 40 (83.3%) had psychiatric lecturers who could complete the questionnaire, while 39 participated (response rate: 97.5%). Standalone departments of psychiatry were present in 64.1% of schools, although nearly half employed only one to three psychiatrists. Most schools (76.9%) offered no psychiatric teaching in the preclinical years, and 94.9% had no independent assessment of behavioural sciences. During the clinical years, 46.2% provided four weeks of psychiatric clerkship, while only 15.4% met the WHO recommended eight weeks. Emergency and community psychiatric exposure was largely absent. Although 59.0% of schools used OSCE/OSPE for clinical assessment, only 28.2% conducted psychiatry as a standalone examination, and just 17.9% allocated full independent weighting (100%) at the final MBBS level.

Conclusion

Undergraduate psychiatric training in Nigerian medical schools remains insufficient in scope, duration, and priority, with substantial variability across institutions. Harmonised and enforceable regulatory reforms aligned with international best practices are urgently needed to strengthen psychiatric education and improve mental health competencies of future doctors.

Trial registration

The study was approved by the Institutional Review Committee of the Kwara State University Teaching Hospital with approval protocol number KWASUTH/IRC/246/VOL.II/106.