Interviewing skills

1. INTERVIEWING
Dr.Harim

2. INTERVIEWING
■ Collecting data on psychosocial factors in Medicine / Surgery / Reproductive Health /
Paediatrics and other general health conditions
■ Types of interviews.
■ Skills of interviewing.

3. THE ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW

4. Clinical assessment
• An evaluation of an individual's strengths and weakness.
• A conceptualization of the problem at hand (as well as
possible etiological factors)
• Some prescription for alleviating the problem.
• Lead us to a better understanding of the client.
• Assessment is not something that is done once and then is
forever finished, it's ongoing process.
• Whether the clinician is making decisions or solving problems,
clinical assesssment is the means to the end.

5. The Referral
• The assessment process begin with a referral.
• Someone (parent, teacher, psychiatrist, judge,
psychologist) poses a question about the patient.

6. The interview
The assessment interview is at once the most basic and the most
serviceable technique used by clinician.
General characteristic of interviews :
1. An Interaction
2. Interviews versus tests : interviews are more purposeful and organized
than conversation but sometimes less formalized or standardized than
for example a psychological test.
3. The art of interviewing
Computer-assisted interview assessment.
Drawback: many nonverbal cues, only clinicians are able to apply "clinical
judgment", encode & process information.

7. Interviewing essentials and techniques
■ The physical arrangements:
Patients are likely to be open and responsive if:
Take place anywhere that 2 people can meet and interact.
Privacy and protection from interruptions.
■ Note-Taking & recording
To recall much from the earlier interviews

8. Rapport
Definition : the relationship between patient and clinician.
Rapport involves a comfortable atmosphere and a mutual
understanding of the purpose of interview
Characteristics :
1. Patients realize that the clinician is trying to understand
their problems in order to help them.
2. Patients accepts the clinician’s ultimate goal of helping.
3. Patients recognize that the clinician is not seeking a
personal satisfaction in the interview.

9. Communication
– Beginning a session.
– Language
– The use of question.
– Silence.
– Listening
– Gratification of self.
– Impact of the clinician.
– The clinician's values and
background.

10. Five type of interview questions
1. Open-ended : gives patient responsibility and latitude for
responding. Ex : "would you tell me about your experiences
in the army"
2. Facilitative : encourage patient's flow of conversation. Ex:
"Can you tell me a little more about that?"
3. Clarifying : encourages clarity of amplification. Ex: "i guess
this means you felt like....?"
4. Confronting : challenges inconsistencies or contradiction. Ex
: "before, when you said....?"
5. Direct : once rapport has been established and the patient is
taking responsibility. Ex : "what did you say to your father
when he criticized your choice?"

11. Varieties of interviews (1)
■ The intake-admission interview
Purpose : to determine why the patient has come to the clinic or
hospital, & to judge weather the agency’s facilities, policies, and
services will meet the needs and expectations of the patients
■ The case-history interview
Purpose : to provide a background
and context for the patient & problem.

12. Varieties of interviews (2)
■ The mental status examination interview
Purpose : to assess the presence of cognitive, emotional, or
behavioral problems.
■ The crisis interview
Purpose : to meet problems as they occur and to provide an
immediate resource.

13. Varieties of interviews (3)
■ The diagnostic interview
o Consists of a standard set of questions and follow-up probes that
are asked in a specified sequence.
o Clinical psychologists evaluate patients according to DSM-IV
criteria (ex : specific phobia section of the structured clinical
interview for Axis I)
o All patients or subjects are asked the same question.
o Interrater reliability : two clinicians who evaluate the same patient
will arrive at the same diagnostic formulation.

14. Strategies to improve your interview skills.
■ Practice good nonverbal communication.
■ Dress for the job or company.
■ Listen.
■ Don't talk too much.
■ Don't be too familiar.
■ Use appropriate language.
■ Take care to answer the questions.