Use of the mechanistic case diagramming technique to teach the biopsychosocial-cultural formulation to psychiatric clerks.
OBJECTIVE
Biopsychosocial-cultural formulation is an essential skill for medical students to become familiar with during their psychiatry clerkship. The authors describe their use of mechanistic case diagramming to demonstrate to students, in a single teaching session, how to construct a biopsychosocial-cultural formulation, and they present results of an evaluation of the session's effect on students.


METHODS
Questionnaires exploring students' views and understanding of biopsychosocial-cultural formulation were administered to 16 students before and after teaching sessions.


RESULTS
Significant increases were observed after the teaching sessions in self-reported understanding of and comfort with presenting a biopsychosocial-cultural formulation and in ratings of the importance of showing linkages between biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.


CONCLUSIONS
The technique of mechanistic case diagramming may be a useful approach for teaching biopsychosocial-cultural formulation.
Guerrero
Anthony P S
AP
Department of Psychiatry, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Queen's University Tower, Fourth Floor, 1356 Lusitana St., Honolulu, HI 96813, USA. GuerreroA@dop.hawaii.edu
Hishinuma
Earl S
ES
Serrano
Alberto C
AC
Ahmed
Iqbal
I
D000328:Adult; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008603:Mental Health; D008954:Models, Biological; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D012924:Social Conditions