The Course and Outcome of Live Psychiatric Direct Skill Transfer During One Year of Training among Primary Care Doctors: A Naturalistic Cohort Study

Background: Integrating psychiatry into primary care is a critical strategy for addressing the increasing burden of psychiatric disorders in the community. Conventional training approaches often emphasize theoretical knowledge, creating a gap in practical clinical skills required for effective psychiatric management. The “Diploma in Primary Care Psychiatry” (DPCP), a 1-year, part-time, digitally delivered program, focuses on enhancing the clinical competencies of primary care doctors (PCDs). This study evaluates the trajectory of psychiatric skill acquisition and retention among PCDs participating in the DPCP over 1 year, within a naturalistic, practice-based setting. Methods: The DPCP program was conducted in-service, and data were collected as part of its ongoing curriculum. This prospective analysis includes data from 8 years, evaluating the psychiatric competencies of PCDs using the Translational Quotient (TQ) pro forma – a semi-structured tool assessing live psychiatric skills in clinical practice. TQ assessments were conducted at baseline, 3–6 months, 6–9 months, and at 12 months. Results: Seventy-seven PCDs had at least one TQ assessment. The average baseline TQ score ( n = 25) was 15.7%, increasing to 66.6% ( n = 41) at 3–6 months, 75.07% ( n = 52) at 6–9 months, and 73.93% ( n = 65) at 1 year. Of the 65 doctors who completed the final examination, 93.85% ( n = 61) passed with scores ≥50%. Conclusion: The DPCP program effectively enables PCDs to acquire and retain practical psychiatric skills over time. These findings underscore the program’s potential to transform primary psychiatric care through structured, skill-based training integrated into real-world clinical practice.