Quality improvement (QI) training has become essential for residency training programs across the world. This study evaluates the current state of QI education in Canadian general psychiatry residency programs. In 2024, a Qualtrics survey was distributed to the 17 Canadian psychiatry residency programs requesting that Program Directors confirm if they had a QI curriculum, and if so, to share the content of the curriculum, along with their experiences delivering it. In addition, the websites of all programs were reviewed to gather information on QI education. Twelve out of 17 (70.6
To identify and map postgraduate psychiatric education changes implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, summarize their reported effects, and examine their implications for the future of psychiatric training. We conducted a scoping review using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, reported according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Two searches were performed in May 2022 and May 2023 across MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, and the World Health Organization COVID-19 database. Eligible studies described postgraduate psychiatric educational developments—including teaching, assessment, and structured trainee well-being programs—introduced in response to COVID-19 and involving residents, fellows, or physicians. Data were charted on study characteristics, curriculum changes, and reported outcomes. Of 775 identified records, 19 studies were included after deduplication, screening and full-text review. Most originated in the United States and used descriptive, survey-based, or qualitative designs. Common themes included transition to virtual and hybrid didactics, expansion of telepsychiatry training, innovations in assessment, trainee well-being interventions, reflective practice initiatives, and redeployment to medical services. Most changes were reactive, although several informed more enduring curricular models. Reported benefits included accessibility, and the feasibility of virtual teaching and assessment; challenges included variable trainee satisfaction, uneven institutional resources, limited preparedness for redeployment, and a lack of long-term outcomes data. The pandemic acted as both a disruptor and a catalyst for innovation in postgraduate psychiatric education. Future training should build on these lessons while aligning curricula with evolving mental health needs, workforce realities, and preparedness for future health emergencies.
The authors aimed to evaluate the efficacy of digital and web-based interventions in reducing stress and burnout among physicians and to examine the acceptability of such interventions among physicians. A systematic search of PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, EMBASE, the Cochrane CENTRAL register, and three grey literature sources was conducted from inception to May 8, 2024. Controlled and uncontrolled studies evaluating digital or web-based interventions targeting stress or burnout in qualified physicians were included. Screening, data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment (RoB-2 and ROBINS-I tools) were independently conducted by two reviewers. Twenty-one studies were included in the review. Interventions included digital mindfulness/meditation (n = 8), web-based coaching (n = 5), online learning modules (n = 4), activity prompts (n = 3), and reflective groups (n = 1), with variation in their content and duration. The meta-analysis identified a statistically significant reduction in burnout scores with low heterogeneity (18 comparisons: SMD = 0.29, 95
Anxiety can affect student performance and well-being. This pilot study examined the relationships between anxiety and headache, sleep disturbance, and irritability in first-year medical students 2 months before the end-of-year summative assessment. Fifty-four first-year medical students (18.8
