Teaching psychiatric interview techniques to family doctors

Recent studies indicate that family doctors fail to detect a substantial proportion of minor psychiatric disorders, and there is considerable variation between doctors in their ability to make accurate assessments. Previous research had indicated that such ability was correlated with certain interviewing techniques and variables relating to the doctors’ personality. The present research measured the interview techniques of 12 trainee family doctors who made inaccurate assessments of their patients’ degree of psychiatric disorder, and then offered them 4 sessions each of teaching based on acquisition of a simple model and videotaped feedback in an attempt to modify their interview techniques. The interview techniques were then measured again 1–4 months later. The reliability of the ratings of interview techniques is given, together with details about those medical behaviours which were capable of modification, and those which persisted unchanged.