Author/Authors :
Alhamad, A.M. King Saud University - College of Medicine - Department of Psychiatry, Saudi Arabia , Al-Sawaf, M.H. King Fahad Hospital - Department of Psychiatry, Saudi Arabia , Osman, A.A. King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre - Division of Psychiatry, Saudi Arabia , Ibrahim, I.S. King Fahad Hospital - Department of Biostatistics, Saudi Arabia
Abstract :
To assess the attitude and knowledge of physicians and patients towards psychiatry, we asked 115 referring doctors and 188 referred patients to complete questionnaires. We examined the results along with the referral rates to try to identify factors that may affect a consultation–liaison psychiatry service. Generally, knowledge was poor and attitudes towards psychiatry negative in both groups. This negatively influenced the referral rates and reflected the lack of integration of psychiatry and medicine at the training level. This is an indication that psychiatrists need to work in collaboration with hospital doctors to integrate psychiatry into medicine at all levels and emphasizes the priority of education of hospital staff, patients and the community in consultation–liaison psychiatry
