Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T07:32:44.708Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Can a computer take a psychiatric history?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

A. C. Carr ,
A. Ghosh  and
R. J. Ancill
A. C. Carr*
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital, London
A. Ghosh
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital, London
R. J. Ancill
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital, London
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr A. C. Carr, Netherne Hospital, P.O. Box 150, Coulsdon, Surrey CR3 lYE.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Synopsis

A program on an inexpensive microcomputer was designed to elicit personal histories from patients in a general psychiatric ward. Their answers were compared with the information recorded by the responsible psychiatric team. Where answers disagreed with the clinicians' records, the patient was interviewed to investigate the discrepancy. In the computer-elicited case-histories 90% of items were correct; a further 3% of items were considered correct by the patient. Most patients' computer histories revealed several items unknown to the clinicians and of importance in the management of the patient. Most patients (88%) found that the computer interrogation was as easy as a clinical interview. Computer assessment is proposed as a useful technique for the routine assessment of patients to augment the clinician's findings and to allow him to concentrate on the most relevant areas.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , February 1983 , pp. 151 - 158
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Carr, A. C., Ancill, R. J., Ghosh, A. & Margo, A. (1981). Direct assessment of depression by microcomputer: a feasibility study. Acta psychiatrica scandinavica 64, 415–422.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fairbairn, A. S., Woods, C. H. & Fletcher, C. M. (1959). Answers to a questionnaire on respiratory symptoms. British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine 13, 175–192.Google ScholarPubMed
Fischer, M. (1974). Development and validity of a computerised method for diagnosis of functional psychoses (DIAX). Acta psychiatrica scandinavica 50, 243–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greist, J. H., Gustafson, D. H. & Stauss, F. (1973). A computer interview for suicide risk prediction. American Journal of Psychiatry 130, 1327–1332.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Institute of Psychiatry (1980). Notes on Eliciting and Recording Clinical Information. Institute of Psychiatry: London (mimeographed).Google Scholar
Lucas, R. W., Mullin, P. I., Luna, C. L. & McInroy, D. C. (1977). Psychiatrists and a computer as interrogators of patients with alcohol-related illnesses: a comparison. British Journal of Psychiatry 131, 160–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michaelis, W. & Eysenck, H. J. (1971). The determination of personality inventory factor patterns and intercorrelations by changes in real life motivation. Journal of Genetics and Psychology 118, 223–234.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prusoff, B., Klerman, G. & Paykel, E. (1972). Concordance between clinical assessment and patient self-report in depression. Archives of General Psychiatry 26, 546–552.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Slack, W. V., Hicks, G. P., Reed, C. E. & Van Cura, L. J. (1966). A computer-based medical history system. New England Journal of Medicine 274, 194–198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed