IPDE - Extranet Systems - World Health Organization

120 Manual
data. If examiners have access to information from family, friends, mental
health professionals, records, etc., that clearly contradicts a subject's
responses regarding a particular criterion, then they may score the criterion
in the informant column provided two requirements are met. Firstly,
they should have more confidence in that information than they do in the
subject; and secondly, the other source must satisfy the identical scoring
guidelines that apply to the subject's response. Later, in entering ratings
in the computer or transcribing them from the interview to the scoresheet,
the scores based on the subject's report are bypassed in favour of
those derived from the informant.
While it is necessary to administer the PDE with knowledge of a subject's
psychiatric history and current mental state, the examiner should
avoid making detailed inquiries about the subject's personality prior to the
interview. It is probably not advisable to confront subjects during the interview
with discrepancies between their accounts and information obtained
from others. Making them aware of the discrepancies could adversely
affect rapport, and also create discord between the subject and informant.
Examiner qualifications and training
The IPDE ICD-l0 Module presupposes a thorough familiarity with the
ICD-10 classification system of mental disorders, and considerable training
and experience in making psychiatric diagnoses. Like any semistructured
clinical interview, its reliability and validity are inseparable from
the qualifications and training of the person using it. It is designed for
experienced psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, and those with comparable
training, who are capable of making independent psychiatric diagnoses
without a semistructured inte~ew. It is not intended for use by
clinicians in the early phase of their training, or by research assistants,
nurses, and medical or graduate students.
The first step in training to use the PDE is to study the interview and
manual very thoroughly. Before the basics are mastered. the interview
should be administered to several subjects primarily to get a 'feel' for it,
and to make the instructions in this manual and the scoring guidelines
more meaningful. Then the neophyte should examine a series of patients,
following the instructions and scoring guidelines as closely as possible.
This is best done with a colleague, someone who has already mastered
the instrument or is also learning how to use it. These practice interviews
should be followed by a critique, and a discussion of any problems in
administration and scoring. Most clinicians will feel comfortable with