Implementation of a Psychiatry Consultation-Liaison Service “Conseminar”

Abstract Background The field of Consultation-Liaison (CL) psychiatry has generated a relatively small number of rigorous clinical trials that guide clinical care. Consequently, there is a need for a consensus-building process to inform best practices for common clinical dilemmas in CL psychiatry Objective We review several consensus-building approaches in academic medicine and describe a novel educational process, called a “conseminar,” which is intended to minimize the variability in teaching and practice on a service staffed by multiple faculty members Methods The conseminar is an iterative group exercise among faculty who attend on a CL service. Faculty members generate a list of candidate topics and then prioritize those topics for a focused and critical literature review, aided by a librarian. In the absence of definitive clinical trial data or established practice guidelines, the faculty articulates a consensus, “best-practice” approach and creates a brief document that summarizes specific recommendations for learners on the service Conclusions The conseminar process can minimize variability among CL faculty within a single institution with respect to the diagnostic and treatment recommendations conveyed to trainees. Furthermore, conseminar documents can be shared across institutions to promote more consistent teaching and practice within CL psychiatry.