INFORMED CONSENT AND THE MEDICAL-STUDENT PSYCHIATRIST

The involvement of medical students in the clinical assessment of psychiatry patients raises concerns that have ethical and possibly legal implications. Responses to a 1986 questionnaire by 91 departments of clinical psychiatry in U.S. medical schools reveal that a substantial proportion (29.3%) of these departments were not fully compliant with established guidelines for obtain-ing informed consent from patients for students’ participation in the patients’ assessment and psychiatric care. Medical educators in psychiatry should recognize the importance of consent as a topic in the educational process and should establish policies that correct the discrepancies between institutional practices and informed consent guidelines. © 1990 Association of American Medical Colleges.