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E-ISSN: 2149-4533 ISSN: 1300-865X
What is The Level of Forensic Psychiatry Knowledge among Psychiatrists in Turkey? “In Your Opinion, should Forensic Psychiatry be a Sub-specialty?”
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Research Article
VOLUME: 24 ISSUE: 1
P: 1-8
April 2019

What is The Level of Forensic Psychiatry Knowledge among Psychiatrists in Turkey? “In Your Opinion, should Forensic Psychiatry be a Sub-specialty?”

The Bulletin of Legal Medicine 2019;24(1):1-8
DOI: 10.17986/blm.2019149810
Çağatay Saygılı 1
Sertaç Ak 2
Gürol Cantürk 3
1. Ankara Üniversitesi Adli Bilimler Enstitüsü, Ankara
2. Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Psikiyatri Anabilim Dalı, Ankara
3. Ankara Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Adli Tıp Anabilim Dalı, Ankara
No information available.
No information available
Received Date: 19.03.2018
Accepted Date: 28.05.2018
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ABSTRACT

Results:

The average scores, ranging between 1 and 5, in the Knowledge Level Questionnaire was determined to be 3,44. While 187 (90.3%) of the physicians participating in the survey thought that “Forensic Psychiatry” should be defined as a sub-specialty, 20 (9.7%) stated that it is not necessary. When gender, the current title of the physician, the Forensic Psychiatry Rotation, and the given answers to the 8th question were all checked, it was seen that, as the age increases, the demand for forensic psychiatry as a sub-specialty decreases significantly.

Discussion:

The average level of knowledge is unaffected by vocational experience, type of institution trained and if the participant received practical and/or theoretical forensic psychiatry training in the period of residency. This fact may be due to the individual effort of physicians to increase their own proficiencies in the field during last years. The reason why experienced physicians would not like to see forensic psychiatry as a sub-specialty may be due to the fact that these physicians think psychiatry should be considered as a whole and knowledge about judicial positions should be as good as at least the other fields of psychiatry.

Materials and Methods:

The survey was distributed on March 2017 in an electronic mail group in which majority of psychiatrists as well as trainees are registered. Two hundred and seven (207) psychiatric physicians, working both in the public (State Hospital, Education and Research Hospital, University Hospital) (184 people), private hospitals (8 people) and private clinics (15 people) participated in the survey. As a means of data collection, “Demographic Information Questionnaire” and “Knowledge Level Questionnaire for Determining Knowledge Levels in Health Law of Psychiatrists” were employed which were compiled by the researchers.

Objective:

Even though the Forensic Psychiatry is currently defined as a sub-specialty of psychiatry in many countries, current regulations in Turkey does not provide such structured training. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the level of the knowledge of current registered mental health physicians practicing in our country, about forensic psychiatry and determine their point of view regarding forensic psychiatry to be a sub-specialty.

Keywords:
Forensic Psychiatry, Health Law, Age, Gender