The psychiatry virtual-on-call experience: Can it improve confidence of foundation and GP trainees with out-of-hours work in psychiatry?

Abstract

Out-of-hours (‘on-call’) work can be perceived by junior doctors to be a daunting experience, associated with feeling unprepared and less supported. Simulated on-call programmes have been used to great effect in medicine and surgery to improve junior doctors’ skills in task prioritisation, interpersonal communication and confidence on-call. However, few psychiatry-specific programmes exist. We aimed to: i) Develop a psychiatry specific virtual-on-call programme, ii) Investigate if the virtual-on-call programme improved confidence amongst junior trainees in key areas of psychiatry practice