How we developed a video mental state examination module for medical undergraduates: Preliminary findings.

Background: The Indian Competency-Based Medical Education curriculum focuses on clinical skills acquisition. Video modules to teach medical students Mental Status Examination (MSE) provide digital skill-based educational opportunities. We describe here the design, content, and preliminary validation of a video MSE module for medical students.

Methods: The video MSE module consists of a PowerPoint presentation with embedded videos on schizophrenia, mania, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and delirium. A case vignette and an MSE report accompany each video. Medical interns played roles of patient and doctor based on a pre-designed script. We demonstrated the module to 9th-semester medical students (n=19) and compared their knowledge and perceived acquisition of MSE skills to a control group (n=20). We collected expert psychiatrists' views on the module and incorporated their suggestions.

Results: The medical students exposed to the module found it an interest-generating, useful learning resource meeting their education goals and helpful for conducting MSE compared to a lesser proportion of them who attended clinical postings only (p<0.05). Most agreed that the videos' mood/affect, thought content, perceptions, and insight components are effective (p<0.05). The medical interns reported learning the conversation of MSE and essential patient communication skills. All nine experts agreed that the module is a useful resource-saving teaching-learning aid and unanimously agreed to all components of the Content Validity Index.

Conclusions: The validated MSE video module is appropriate as a self-help and a teaching aid to existing teaching resources in the Indian context.