A survey of the teaching of undergraduate psychiatry in Israel

Background: The 1960-70s saw significant advances in the teaching of psychiatry in medical schools. Subsequently there have been developments in the structure of health care and in the methods and goals of medical education. Method: All four departments of undergraduate teaching of psychiatry in Israel and single departments in Greece, UK and US were asked to respond to a questionnaire about the structure and content of their teaching program. Results: The amount and content of preclinical and clinical teaching have not changed over the last two decades. There has not been a significant "move into the community" and the nucleus of the program, particularly in Israel, is still in-patient psychiatry. None of the departments approached are evaluating clinical skills using performance-based techniques. Conclusions: The increased awareness of the need for physicians to have knowledge and skills in psychiatry has not lead to an increase in the teaching of psychiatry to medical students. Further, the content of teaching carried out in most of the centers studied does not meet the needs of physicians, particularly those in primary care, who have to identify and manage a wide range of psychopathology.