A Model for Measuring the Consistency of Diagnostic Classification.

摘要

Appearance of this material in the professional literature is in support of the Chief of Naval Material's program for Military-Civilian Technology Transfer and Cooperative Development. Psychiatric screening, evaluations, and treatment strategies represent 300,000 manhours lost to the Navy each year. With this heavy responsibility, there is a great need for good methods to promote uniform quality practices in diagnosis and treatment. The model presented can be used to assure high quality screening, evaluation, and treatment in the naval psychiatric environment. Evaluation of clinical training is a complex task. Traditional methods have relied on directly observable criteria and often produced good decision making procedures. This paper presents a methodology for examining the conceptual process of diagnosis. Thirteen psychiatrists evaluated their own patients using a grid method. Each doctor's grid was examined individually using cluster analysis. The Doctor's cluster structures were evaluated to determine whether the psychiatrists were systematically using diagnosis to classify the patients. Application of this technique to the training setting was presented. (Author)