Standardized rater training for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) in psychiatric novices.
BACKGROUND
Despite the long and widespread use of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), standardized reliability studies in inexperienced raters are not available.


METHODS
Rater training was carried using three videotaped interviews with depressed patients in 21 psychiatric novices who had negligible previous experience with the HAMD. Chance-corrected coefficients of rating agreement with expert standards (weighted kappa, ICC) were computed for single items and the total score of the HAMD.


RESULTS
The results demonstrate sufficiently high interrater reliability (kappa>0.60) for most of the HAMD items and the total score (ICC=0.57-0.73). Three standardized HAMD training sessions seem adequate to establish satisfactory agreement among psychiatric novices.


CONCLUSIONS
The sample of video-taped interviews and, hence, the generalizability of the results, was restricted.


CONCLUSIONS
High inter-rater reliability of the HAMD justifies the use by clinically inexperienced researchers after standardized training.
Müller
Matthias J
MJ
Department of Psychiatry, University of Mainz, Untere Zahlbacher Strasse 8, D-55131 Mainz, Germany. mjm@mail.psychiatrie.klinik.uni-mainz.de
Dragicevic
Aleksandra
A
D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015588:Observer Variation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*