A survey of medical toxicology training in psychiatry residency programs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent of medical toxicology training provided in U.S. psychiatry residency programs. Medical toxicology is a newly recognized field of medicine. Many patient consultations are common to psychiatrists and medical toxicologists, including intentional drug overdoses and adverse reactions to psychotropic medications.

METHODS: The authors surveyed the directors of all accredited U.S. psychiatry residency programs by mail to determine how much formal training in medical toxicology, if any, is provided in these programs.

RESULTS: Eighty program directors (48.6%) responded. Replies indicated that only 4% of psychiatry residency programs were affiliated with institutions offering defined medical toxicology electives. Although residents in 65% of programs could choose to design a medical toxicology elective, this had been done in only 2 programs. Only 41% of programs responding offered specific didactic lectures on medical toxicology topics to psychiatry residents.

CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that few psychiatry residency programs have formal medical toxicology training curricula and that, in programs responding to the survey, little interaction occurs between medical toxicologists and psychiatry residents.