THE MULTISITE FIELD TRIAL OF THE CONSULTATION-LIAISON PSYCHIATRY ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT

A multisite field trial was conducted at 11 institutions to test the c linical reliability of a 29-item consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry assessment instrument. Twenty-five raters viewed videotapes of two '' trainees'' conducting clinical interviews with a simulated patient. On e trainee was a medical student, the other was a fellow in psychiatry. Raters completed the 29-item assessment instrument for each trainee. The mean value scares reflected the skill of each trainee. The medical student had a mean score of 1.93, whereas the C-L fellow had a mean s core of 3.13 which parallels the expected level of skill for the true interviewers. Eighty-six percent of the items (25/29) had a standard d eviation (SD) of less than 1.0. Each of the remaining four items (14%) had a SD minimally greater than 1.0. These results reflect clear word ing of items with measurable parameters defined for assessing trainees ' skills. The authors present different uses for the assessment instru ment, including giving feedback to trainees regarding interviewing tec hniques and skills; setting ''gold'' and ''lead'' standards for clinic al C-L interviewing skills; and training supervisors in evaluation usi ng a standardized assessment instrument. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc .