title: A research coding method for the basic patient-centered interview.
abstract: To develop a more reliable coding method of medical interviewing focused on data-gathering and emotion-handling.
  
  
  
  Two trained (30h) undergraduates rated videotaped interviews from 127 resident-simulated patient (SP) interactions. Trained on 45 videotapes, raters coded 25 of 127 study set tapes for patient-centeredness. Guetzkow's U, Cohen's Kappa, and percent of agreement were used to measure raters' reliability in unitizing and coding residents' skills for eliciting: agenda (3 yes/no items), physical story (2), personal story (6), emotional story (15), using indirect skills (4), and general patient-centeredness (3).
  
  
  
  45 items were dichotomized from the earlier, Likert scale-based method and were reduced to 33 during training. Guetzkow's U ranged from 0.00 to 0.087. Kappa ranged from 0.86 to 1.00 for the 6 variables and 33 individual items. The overall kappa was 0.90, and percent of agreement was 97.5%. Percent of agreement by item ranged from 84 to 100%.
  
  
  
  A simple, highly reliable coding method, weighted (by no. of items) to highlight personal elements of an interview, was developed and is recommended as a criterion standard research coding method.
  
  
  
  An easily conducted, reliable coding procedure can be the basis for everyday questionnaires like patient satisfaction with patient-centeredness.
authors.affiliation: 788 Service Road, Michigan State University, Department of Medicine, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; 404 Wilson Road, Michigan State University, Department of Communication, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Katelyn A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Grayson-Sneed
authors.affiliation: 404 Wilson Road, Michigan State University, Department of Communication, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Sandi W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: 788 Service Road, Michigan State University, Department of Medicine, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: robert.smith@ht.msu.edu.
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D016544:Patient Simulation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014743:Videotape Recording
keywords: Interview rating; Patient-centered interview; Patient-centered interviewing research