The Scotland Malawi Mental Health Education Project

1
The Scotland Malawi Mental Health Education
Project

• Dr Benjamin Baig
• Lecturer in Psychiatry
• University of Edinburgh

2
Scotland Malawi Mental Health Education Project

• Aim To support and develop education and
  training of mental health professionals and
  mental health services through the University of
  Malawi
• Medical Undergraduates
• Nurses
• Clinical Officers

3
Organisations involved

• University of Malawi
• University of Edinburgh
• Scottish Executive
• Royal College of Psychiatrists

4
Scotland Malawi Psychiatry

• International Development Project
• Valid Aims
• Cultural Issues
• Measurable Outcomes
• Cost Effective
• Sustainable

5
So far.

• The delivery of undergraduate medical training in
  Psychiatry to medical students at the University
  of Malawi for the past three years including
  development of an undergraduate Curriculum and
  Examination in psychiatry
• The allocation of clinical textbooks in
  Psychiatry to every Malawi medical student during
  their course
• Securing of funding to ensure the sustainability
  of SMMHEP for the next three years along with
  successful recruitment of Scottish psychiatrists
  for 2009.
• An educational standard comparable to achieved
  comparable to a UK medical school. Baig et al.
  BMC Med Educ 2008
• The development of an ECT protocol and training
  for clinicians in Malawi
• An audit of Forensic Mental Health services in
  Malawi
• Training in Transcultural Psychiatry for Scottish
  psychiatrists. Beaglehole et al Psych Bull 2008
• 5 academic publications relating to the work of
  the project and several presentations at
  international psychiatric conferences
• The development of a website and web based
  resources for mental health training in Malawi

6
Malawi exam in Edinburgh

• Malawi exam was at least a comparable standard to
  the real Edinburgh MBChB
• If we then measured the 57 Malawi students by
  Edinburgh MBChB grades
• 3 got grade B,
• 30 got grade C,
• 15 grade D
• 9 grade E
• 2 week theoretical course we were able to pass
  84 by a UK university standard.

7
Attitudes to Psychiatry 30 significant changes
before and after course delivery

• 1) Psychiatry is unappealing because it makes
  little use of medical training.
• 4) I would like to be a psychiatrist.
• 10) The majority of students report that their
  psychiatric undergraduate training has been
  valuable
• 19) There is very little that psychiatrists can
  do for their patients.
• 23) These days psychiatry is one of the most
  important parts of the curriculum in medical
  schools.

8
The Future

• Volunteers for the Programme full allocation for
  2009 and interest for 2010
• Educational Material Support (Textbooks,
  handouts, curriculum, examination system)
• Development of further research/teaching
  activities including nursing staff and clinical
  officers

9
Acknowledgements

• Dr. Felix Kauye
• Royal College of Psychiatrists
• Scottish Executive
• Dr Tom Brown
• Elizabeth Grant
• Dr. Robert Stewart
• Dr Leonie Boeing
• Professor Douglas Blackwood
• Dr Johan Leuvennink
• Dr. Julie Platt
• Dr Arvid Nedal

• Dr James Strachan
• Dr Peter Bennie
• Dr Judith Halford
• Dr David Hayward
• Dr Katherine McElroy
• Dr Fiona Murray
• Dr Carol Robertson
• Dr Pavan Srireddy
• And many more!