This panel presentation aims to spark dialogue among attendees about the future of emergency psychiatry training and provide a roadmap for curriculum enhancement.
Emergency psychiatric care has significantly evolved since the American Association for Emergency Psychiatry (AAEP) published its model curriculum in 2004. This presentation examines the existing curriculum and proposes essential updates to align with current practices and emerging challenges.
The original AAEP curriculum, developed by consensus in the late 1990s, provided a comprehensive framework for training residents in core competencies like rapid assessment, crisis intervention, and risk management. These foundational skills remain crucial. However, the evolving nature of healthcare delivery, technological advancements, and shifting patient demographics necessitate a curriculum revision.
We will begin by reviewing the AAEP consensus process and the key components of the 2004 curriculum that remain relevant. These include prioritization skills, patient assessment and management, crisis intervention techniques, and professional communication. We will then introduce new areas for integration into the curriculum to address contemporary challenges.
Proposed additions include:
- Telepsychiatry Competencies: Training residents to conduct remote emergency assessments and interventions effectively.
- Substance Use Emergencies: Enhanced training to manage the ongoing opioid and stimulant crisis and evolving drug use patterns.
- Cultural Competence and Health Equity: Skills to provide culturally informed care and address disparities in emergency psychiatric services.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Emphasizing effective teamwork with diverse healthcare professionals, as per ACGME “teaming”.
- Community-Based Crisis Intervention: Working with the site-specific variety of emergency psychiatry service delivery modalities, such as mobile crisis teams and community-based emergency services.
- Updated Psychopharmacology: Focus on newer medications and rapid-acting interventions for acute agitation, suicidality, and withdrawal management.
- Legal and Ethical Considerations: Addressing challenges in involuntary treatment, capacity assessment, patient rights, boarding issues, and duty to protect.
- Suicide/Violence Risk Assessment: Understanding evidence-based tools, improved EHR screening protocols, and technology integration. Personalized, collaborative safety planning and follow-up care.
We will also identify elements of the original curriculum to be de-emphasized or removed due to changes in practice patterns.
Finally, we will discuss strategies for residency programs to incorporate these updates effectively, including integrating new content into existing rotations, technology for education, and developing partnerships with community organizations.
By modernizing the emergency psychiatry curriculum, we can ensure that the next generation of psychiatrists is well-prepared to meet the complex needs of patients in crisis.
Learning Objectives:Identify core components of the 2004 AAEP emergency psychiatry curriculum that remain essential and those requiring updating or removal.
Describe at least five new content areas to be incorporated into emergency psychiatry residency training to address contemporary challenges.
Discuss strategies for implementing curriculum updates in residency programs, including integrating new content and leveraging technology for education.
