Evaluation of standardized rater training for the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)

The present analysis comprises 3 studies on the interrater reliability of t he Positive a nd Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS;German ve rsion). To our knowledge this is the first empirical report on interrater r eliability and on results of rater training of the German Version of the PA NSS despite the widespread use of the scale. In a total of 47 training part icipants with different clinical experience standardized PANSS rater traini ng was carried out and subsequently evaluated. Therefore, concordance rates with an expert standard (C) and weighted coefficient kappa (kappa(w)) were calculated. As a main outcome of the studies, at least 3 training sessions were necessary but also sufficient to reach acceptable interrater reliabil ity of the PANSS (C>80%, kw>0,60). In training participants with low psychi atric experience the level of interrater reliability of schizophrenic negat ive symptoms did not reach the results of positive symptoms after the train ing. Despite some conceptual limitations with respect to negative symptoms, the German Version of the PANSS seems highly suitable to assess a broad spectru m of schizophrenic psychopathology in a reliable and economic manner. The p resent results also underline the practicability of our recommendations for conducting PANSS rater training in the clinical and scientific field as pa rt of quality control and quality assurance in psychopathological assessmen t.