The evaluation of training in patient-centred interviewing skills for psychiatric residents.
BACKGROUND
Communication skills are considered 'core skills' in the curriculum of psychiatry but studies evaluating the effectiveness of a time-limited training course in interviewing skills in psychiatry have remained rare. The aim was to assess the effectiveness of training in patient-centred interviewing on the interview performance of psychiatric residents.


METHODS
Psychiatric residents (n=10) each interviewed 12 different anonymized standardized patients (SPs), eight before and another four after training. SPs simulated psychiatric out-patients who attended for a first visit to the psychiatric out-patient clinic. The consultations were videotaped, transcribed and coded with a classification scheme developed for psychiatric consultations from which an interview performance index was derived. An interrupted time-series design and a segmented regression analysis with multilevel analysis explored the performance trend within the series of consultations.


RESULTS
The regression model evidenced a horizontal slope at pre- and post-training, with a significant level change. These findings excluded the presence of a practice effect and indicated a significant effect of training. Performance variability between and within residents over the series of consultations increased at post-training.


CONCLUSIONS
The training improved patient-centred interviewing performance. More post-training exercise time and supervised practice are necessary to establish consistent performance patterns at a higher skill level.
Rimondini
M
M
Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy. michela.rimondini@univr.it
Del Piccolo
L
L
Goss
C
C
Mazzi
M
M
Paccaloni
M
M
Zimmermann
C
C
D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency / Q000379:methods*; D007406:Interview, Psychological / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D016544:Patient Simulation; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000379:methods*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education* / Q000379:methods