Effectiveness of an educational handbook in improving psychiatry resident knowledge of second-generation antipsychotics.

Objective: The authors describe a pilot evaluation of an educational handbook designed to increase resident knowledge of second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) use in the pediatric population, with an emphasis on metabolic monitoring.

Methods: An educational handbook focusing on SGA use in children and adolescents was introduced to psychiatry residents undergoing a child psychiatry rotation. Baseline and post-intervention questionnaires were administered to determine whether SGA knowledge increased.

Results: Baseline and post-intervention questionnaires were completed by 32 residents. At baseline, most residents (92.9 %) had interacted with an adult patient requiring an SGA and had prescribed SGAs at least five times (70.9 %) in the previous month. Baseline SGA knowledge was limited such that only 5.4 % of participants scored greater than 80 %, and 28.6 % scored below 60 %. Mean total score improved significantly from pre-test (18.4 ± 4.23) to post-test (21.2 ± 3.28, p = 0.001). Stratified analysis suggested a significant improvement of scores (post-test versus pre-test, respectively) in females (21.8 ± 3.11 versus 18.0 ± 4.94, p = 0.003) and junior residents (21.3 ± 3.34 versus 18.1 ± 4.37, p = 0.001). While significant improvements were documented in questions related to Health Canada-approved and other off-label evidence-based indications, and the appropriate physical examination components and laboratory tests to perform at SGA initiation and follow-up, no improvements were documented regarding the distinguishing properties, side effects, and appropriate history-taking prior to SGA initiation.

Conclusions: Implementation of an educational handbook can improve resident knowledge related to SGA use in children over the short-term. However, future research should be directed at the effectiveness of more interactive web-based formats in optimizing learning for male residents and ensuring more comprehensive knowledge uptake. While the introduction of an education handbook is the first step in addressing some of the barriers to metabolic monitoring, prospective longitudinal studies are required to determine whether such an intervention will ultimately improve prescriber adherence over the long-term.