Objective: Although many studies have reported that many psychiatric cases
are missed by their nonpsychiatric physicians, their methods are often limi
ted because ward physicians' recognition has been assessed from potentially
unreliable sources such as medical notes. The aim of the present study was
to assess recognition by using direct questions to ward physicians. Method
s: Five hundred five (505) nonpsychiatric in-patients were interviewed usin
g the Clinical Interview Schedule. Ward physicians' recognition of psychiat
ric disorders was assessed using a rating form for every patient. Results:
The psychiatric prevalence of the total sample was 37.3 %. Overall, ward ph
ysicians' diagnostic sensitivity was 54.5%, but their sensitivity varied fo
r the different diagnoses (31.3-89.5%). In addition to psychiatric symptoms
and abnormalities, intake of psychotropics before admission significantly
predicted identification of psychiatric disorders. Conclusions: In our stud
y, physicians' sensitivity was higher than that reported from surveys based
on medical notes. The fact that nearly half of all psychiatric disorders w
ere missed by ward physicians suggests that better psychiatric training for
nonpsychiatric doctors is necessary. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All ri
ghts reserved.