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Introduction The Internet represents the central communication medium in higher education. University applicants, students, teachers and scientists use the Internet when seeking information on medicine. The homepages of dental schools are not just sources of information, but also a means of presenting the school. No comparative studies have been undertaken concerning the content and extent of their Internet sites so far. Methods Based on the literature and assessments of medical school websites, 136 criteria were defined within the setting of a Delphi procedure and drawn upon for a standardised evaluation of the websites of all 30 German dental schools. Structure and extent of the content of the websites were evaluated. Possible influencing factors, such as financial resources and number of applicants, were investigated. Results The results yielded by the homepages varied considerably. The best Internet site received 84% of the possible points, the poorest 38%. On average, 62% of the criteria were fulfilled. Influencing factors, such as the amount of funding by the particular state government, could not be detected. Two-thirds of the dental schools addressed students, three-fourth teachers and scientists as target groups. More than 50% did not address applicants. Specific requirements regarding barrier-free accessibility of information were hardly met. Conclusions Individual faculties already have homepages of a high quality; for others, there is a need for improvement. General recommendations for university websites should be discussed at the European level to ensure a uniform standard of quality. The criteria presented here offer faculties the possibility to reflect upon their own Internet sites.

Olanzapine pamoate is one of three second-generation antipsychotics available as depot medication. While non-adherence is a major problem in the treatment of schizophrenia, olanzapine pamoate can improve adherence, though its use is limited by its safety profile.The review covers data on efficacy with a focus on tolerability and safety of olanzapine pamoate using the known databases including PubMed, Psychinfo and Embase using keywords. Relevant websites were also reviewed.Olanzapine is an efficacious antipsychotic that can be used in its oral and depot formula (olanzapine pamoate) for the treatment of patients with schizophrenia. It has demonstrated superiority over conventional and some other atypical antipsychotics, with both formulas having comparable low rates of motor side effects. The side effects on body weight and glucose homeostasis are also similar in both formulas and limit its use. The only clear difference regarding side effects is 'the risk that 0.07% of injections in preclinical trials have led to a post-injection delirium/sedation syndrome event which requires a risk management plan'. Especially in outpatients this could cause inconveniences that should be overcome by offering, for example, psychological therapies or psychoeducation to effectively use the time when patients have to remain in the healthcare facilities.

OBJECTIVE The world wide web provides new options to physicians in terms practice marketing, information brokerage, and process optimization. This study explores prevalence and content of homepages of neurologists, psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists in private practice. METHODS Through the legal bodies of physicians in private practice in six northern German states neurologists, psychiatrists and medical psychotherapists were identified. According to a standardized and operationalized criteria catalogue, homepages were rated. RESULTS 1804 physicians were identified, 352 (19.5 %) had operated a homepage. Higher frequencies of homepages found for male physicians (vs. female physicians), practice centres (vs. single practices) and urban practices (vs. rural practices). In average, practices reached 18.8 (± 5.3) of 42 points; contact data and accessibility information were generally available; information as to qualification and specialization was provided more infrequently. Legal specifications were not considered in more than every second homepage, interactive elements like online appointment of follow-up prescription were only rarely offered. CONCLUSIONS Only every fifth neurological or psychiatric practice operates an own homepage, higher competition (urban area) and higher professionalization (practice centres) seem to act as promotors. The legal framework has to be focused, and patient needs should be taken into account.

Background: Opiate substitution treatment (OST) is the most widely used treatment for opioid dependence in Germany with substantial long-term benefits for the patient and for society. Due to lessened restrictive admission criteria, the number of registered OST patients in Germany has increased continuously in the recent years, whereas the number of physicians providing OST has remained constant. Previous data already indicated a deteriorating situation in the availability or quality of OST delivered and that structural barriers impede physicians in actively providing OST. The present survey among a sample of primary care physicians in Germany aimed to identify and assess potential structural barriers for the provision of health care in the context of OST. Methods: An anonymous written questionnaire was sent out to a sample of 2,332 physicians across Germany providing OST. Physicians contacted were identified through databases of the Federal State Chambers of Physicians and/or of the Federal Associations of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. Data obtained were analysed descriptively. Results: The response rate was 25,5% and the majority of 596 physicians sampled viewed substantial problems in terms of the regulatory framework of OST care in the German context. Furthermore, financial remuneration, insufficient qualification, as well as inadequate interdisciplinary cooperation in the treatment of comorbidities of opiate substituted patients were regarded as problematic. The number of physicians providing OST in Germany is expected to substantially decrease in the near future. Conclusion: Despite less restrictive admission criteria for OST in Germany, the legal regulation framework for OST is still a limiting factor through raising concerns on the provider and consumer side to be unable to adhere to the strict rules. To avoid future shortages in the provision of OST care on the system level in Germany, revisions to the legal framework seem to be necessary. In regards to adequate care for drug use-related infectious diseases and psychiatric comorbidities commonly found in opiate substituted patients, efforts are required to improve professional qualifications of physicians providing OST as well as respective interdisciplinary collaboration.

Objective: The attitudes of medical students towards psychiatry and psychotherapy were examined considering the extent of their education, previous psychiatry experience, the evaluation of the course, their career intentions and socio-demographic variables. Methods: Five hundred and eight medical students in their second, fifth, ninth and tenth semester completed a questionnaire on “Attitudes Towards Psychiatry” (ATP-30). Results: With 508 participants (return quota: 88%), the study showed no overall change in attitude in the ATP-30 during the course of the study. No general change in attitude following practical training in psychiatry was found. The more positive the psychiatry course was rated the more positive attitudes towards psychiatry were. Female students and students with psychiatry/psychotherapy experience had a significantly more positive attitude towards psychiatry as a subject. Overall 5.8% of all students showed a very positive attitude towards psychiatry. Conclusion: A positive education experience as well as personal experience increases the probability of a positive student attitude towards psychiatry. In order to assure adequate care for the mentally ill, it should be a fundamental aim of medical education to promote positive attitudes towards the mentally ill and psychiatry. It remains to be investigated, however, whether an improvement in the attitudes of students towards the psychiatry discipline is sufficient to increase the number of students who would like to become psychiatrists or whether other factors are more deciding such as career opportunities, conditions of further education, or income potential.

This study aimed to explore the effect of medical education on students’ attitudes toward psychiatry and psychiatric patients, and examined the usefulness of a new evaluation tool: the 6-item Psychiatric Experience, Attitudes, and Knowledge (PEAK-6). Authors studied the attitudes of 116 medical students toward psychiatry and individuals with mental disorders, using two questionnaires before and after a 12-week module of “psychosocial medicine. ” Results of the 30-item questionnaire Attitudes Toward Psychiatry (ATP-30) were compared with the results of PEAK-6. With the ATP-30, no change in attitudes toward psychiatry was observed at the end of the module. With the PEAK-6, the item “attitude toward psychiatry” significantly improved. Knowledge of and experience with psychiatry as well as knowledge of and experience with individuals with mental disorders improved significantly; however, attitudes toward individuals with mental disorders did not improve. PEAK-6 seems to be a promising tool with regard to nuanced information about psychiatric learning experiences. Participation in a psychiatric module may be associated with a positive effect on students’ knowledge about, experience with, and attitudes toward psychiatry, but not attitudes toward psychiatric patients.

Psychiatric educators are often faced with students’ negative attitudes toward psychiatry. A new type of seminar has been established in order to enable students to gain a deeper understanding of psychiatric illness. A “cinemeducation seminar,” combining a movie, a lecture, and a patient interview, has been established as part of the undergraduate curriculum at Hamburg Medical School, where 1,032 students attended 39 cinemeducation seminars between 2005 and 2008. A student evaluation covering different aspects of education took place after each seminar. The students valued the combination of a movie and a seminar and found the movie and the additional patient interview useful for accessing the subject of Psychiatry and understanding the underlying psychiatric illnesses shown in the movies. From the students’ perspective, this type of seminar seems to be helpful for providing an impression of psychiatric illnesses and enabling students to put themselves in the position of a person suffering from these illnesses. Therefore, we judged the cinemeducation seminar to be an appropriate teaching format in undergraduate medical education.