Abstract
A brief historical review of research on the use of computers in mental health service delivery is presented. The computer-assisted psychiatric assessment project (PAU) at the Salt Lake City VA Hospital is briefly described in the perspective of previous research. It is noted that the initial design for the PAU was deficient in the development of a computer generated reporting scheme which is totally acceptable to clinicians. Two conceptual innovations, interventionally relevant reporting and retrofit programming, are introduced. These are described as providing solutions to the problem of obtaining clinician acceptance of computer-generated assessment reports. Pilot research on the use of these concepts is presented.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
Reference notes
Sletten, I. W., Ulett, G. A., & Hedlund, J. L.Standard systems of psychiatry [S.S.O.P.]. St. Louis: Department of Psychiatry at Missouri Institute of Psychiatry, 1973 (Spring Abbreviated Edition).
Morgan, D. W.Computer support in military psychiatry [COMPSY]. Annual Progress Report No. 3. 1 January 1971–31 December 1971. Washington, D.C: Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 1972.
Klingler, D. F., Miller, D. A., Johnson, J. H., & Williams, T. A.Process evaluation of an on-line computer assisted unit for intake assessment of mental health patients. Paper presented at the Sixth Annual Meeting of the National Conference on the Use of On-line Computers in Psychology, St. Louis, November 1976.
Miller, D. A., Johnson, J. H., Klingler, D. E., Williams, T. A., & Giannetti, R. A.Design for am on-line computerized system for MMPI interpretation. Paper presented at the Sixth Annual Meeting of the National Conference on the Use of On-line Computers in Psychology, St. Louis, November 1976.
Giannetti, K. A., Johnson, J. H., Williams, T. A., & McCusker, C. F.Development of an on-line problem-oriented system for the evaluation of mental health treatment services. Paper presented at the Sixth Annual Meeting of the National Conference on the Use of On-line Computers in Psychology, St. Louis, November 1976.
References
Altman, H., Angle, H. V., Brown, M. L., &Sletten, I. W. Prediction of length of hospital stay.Comprehensive Psychiatry, 1972,13, 471–480.
Altman, H., Brown, M. L., &Sletten, I. W. “And... silently steal away”: A study of elopers.Diseases of the Nervous System, 1972,33, 52–58.
Altman, H., Evenson, R. C, Sletten, I. W., &Cho, D. W. Computer predictions of psychotropic drug assignment in state mental facilities: Effects of eliminating alcoholics from the study sample.Diseases of the Nervous System, 1974,35, 505–508.
Barraclough, B., Bunch, J., Nelson, B., &Sainsbury, P. A hundred cases of suicide: Clinical aspects.British Journal of Psychiatry, 1974,125, 355–373.
Cline, V. B. Interpersonal perception. In B. A. Maher (Ed.),Progress in experimental personality research (Vol. 1). New York: Academic Press, 1964.
Colby, K. M., Watt, J. B., &Gilbert, J. P. A computer method of psychotherapy: Preliminary communication.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1966,142, 148–152.
Cole, E. B., Johnson, J. H., &Williams, T. A. Design considerations for an on-line computer system for automated psychiatric assessment.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 1975,7, 195–198.
Cole, E. B., Johnson, J. H., &Williams, T. A. When psychiatric patients interact with on-line computer terminals: Problems and solutions.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 1976,8, 92–94.
Cronbach. L. J., &Gleser, G. C.Psychological tests and personnel decisions. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1965.
Elwood, D. L., &Griffin, H. R. Individual intelligence testing without the examiner: Reliability of an automated method.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1972,38, 9–14.
Giannetti, R. A., Klinglee, D. E., Johnson, J. H., &Williams, T. A. The potential for dynamic assessment systems using on-line computer technology.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 1976,8, 101–103.
Gilberstadt, H. Construction and application of MMPI code books. In J. N. Butcher (Ed.),MMPI: Research developments and clinical applications. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1969.
Glueck, B. C. Computers at the institute of living. In J. L. Crawford, D. A. Morgan, D. T. Gianturco (Eds.),Progress in mental health information systems: Computer applications. Cambridge, Mass: Ballinger, 1974.
Gough, H. G. The F minus K dissimulation index for the MMPI.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1950,14, 408–413.
Graetz, R. E. The computer: A new tool for psychiatry.Hospital and Community Psychiatry, 1966,17, 26–28.
Guliksen, H.Theory of mental tests. New York: Wiley, 1950.
Gurel, L., &Lorei, T. W. The labor market and schizophrenics’ posthospital employment.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1973,20, 450–453.
Hammond, K. R., &Allen, J. M., Jr.Writing clinical reports. New York: Prentice-Hall, 1953.
Harman, C. E., &Raymond, C. S. Computer prediction of chronic psychiatric patients.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1970,150, 490–503.
Hedlund, J. L., Sletten, I. W., Altman, H., &Evenson, R. C. Prediction of patients who are dangerous to others.Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1973,29, 443–447.
Huber, J. T.Report writing in psychology and psychiatry. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961.
Johnson, J. H., Cole, E. B., &Williams, T. A. PROSE: A simple user-oriented program for computer constructed narratives.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 1975,7, 309–310.
Johnson, J. H., Giannetti, R. A., &Williams, T. A. Real-time psychological assessment and evaluation of psychiatric patients.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 1975,7, 199–200.
Johnson, J. H., Giannetti, R. A., &Williams, T. A. Computer in mental health care delivery: A review of the evolution toward interventionally relevant on-line processing.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 1976,8, 83–91.
Johnson, J. H., &Williams, T. A. The use of on-line computer technology in a mental health admitting system.American Psychologist, 1975,30, 388–390.
Klein, D. F., &Davis, J. M.Diagnosis and drug treatment of psychiatric disorders. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1969.
Klingler, D. E., Johnson, J. H., &Williams, T. A. Strategies in the evaluation of an on-line computer-assisted unit for intake assessment of mental health patients.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 1976,8, 95–100.
Kostlan, A. A method for the empirical study of psychodiagnosis.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1954,18, 83–88.
Laska, E. The multi-state information system. In J. L. Crawford, D. W. Morgan, & D. T. Gianturco (Eds.),Progress in mental health information systems: Computer applications. Cambridge, Mass: Ballinger, 1974.
Laska, E., Logemann, G. W., &Weinstein, A. The multi-state information system for psychiatric patients.Transactions of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1971,33, 780–790.
Lester, D. Attempts to predict suicidal risk using psychological tests.Psychological Bulletin, 1970,74, 1–17.
Mirabile, C. A., Houck, J. H., &Glueck, B. C., Jr. Computer prediction of treatment success.Comprehensive Psychiatry, 1971,12, 48–53.
Paykel, E. S., Prusoff, B. A., &Myers, J. K. Suicide attempts and recent life events.Archives of General Psychiatry, 1975,32, 327–333.
Piotrowski, Z. A digital-computer interpretation of inkblot test data.Psychiatric Quarterly, 1964,38, 1–26.
Rosenberg, M., &Glueck, B. C. Automation of behavioral observations on hospitalized psychiatric patients.Hospital Topics, 1969,47, 27–28.
Schwartz, C. C., Myers, I. K., &Astrachan, B. M. Psychiatric labeling and the rehabilitation of the mental patient.Archives of General Psychiatry, 1974,31, 329–334.
Serban, G., &Gidynjki, C. B. Differentiating criteria for acute-chronic distinction in schizophrenia.Archives of General Psychiatry, 1975,32, 705–712.
Shaffer, J. W., Perlin, S., Schmidt, C. W., Jr., &Stephens, J. H. The prediction of outcome in schizophrenia.Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 1974,159, 349–355.
Sines, L. K. The relative contribution of four kinds of data to accuracy in personality assessment.Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1959,23, 483–492.
Strauss, J. S., &Carpenter, W. T. The prediction of outcome in schizophrenia.Archives of General Psychiatry, 1972,27, 739–746.
Williams, T. A., Johnson, J. H., &Buss, E. L. A computer-assisted psychiatric assessment unit.American Journal of Psychiatry, 1975,132, 1074–1076.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Johnson, J.H., Williams, T.A., Klingler, D.E. et al. Interventional relevance and retrofit programming: Concepts for the improvement of clinician acceptance of computer-generated assessment reports. Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation 9, 123–132 (1977). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214485
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214485