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Main Question Post:

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Week 1 Discussion-
t
s Interview Format
NRNP – 6670: Psychiatric
Mental Health Nurse
Practitioner Role II: Adults
and Older

1. Attach the interview format document you would use for an initial interview
of aclient.
The initial psychiatric interview should be started by first developing a good rapport with
the patient. The patient must be made to feel comfortable with the clinician or interviewer
before anything can happen. This is the most critical step because it set the tone for the
interview and allows freedom of expression between the two parties
Once the chief complaint has been established, the interviewer will need to move
forward to ask further questions in order to gather important details regarding the problem or
issue at hand. Waldinger and Jacobson (n.d.) addresses the following topics as part of the
interview process which I have also adopted as part of my interview template. Confidentiality is
key to a successful patient interview. However this must be done utilizing open-ended
questions, along with showing empathy, concern, and active listening as the patient expresses
themselves.

Information Gathering
Chief complaint/ History of current and past illness

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 suicidal and homicidal ideation assessment
History of presenting problem or illness
Current and past history of abuse or victimization (domestic violence or child abuse)
Precipitating factors
Patient History of psychiatric problem(s) – including treatment response
Patient’s Current Symptoms
Patient’s Affect
Social and developmental history
Patient’s family psychiatric and social history
Cognitive and mental history
Physical and medical history
Substance usage or abuse

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 Social role changes and functioning

2. Describe what interview format your preceptor uses for the initial interview of a
client.
In the clinical site that I have experienced, my preceptor utilizes a generally three part
process in conducting the patient interview. These include building a rapport, conducting the
patient interview, and answering patient’s questions and concerns. It was always critical to first
establish a good rapport with the patient and to make them feel very comfortable before
initiating the interview process. It was also important to get specific and to ask critical
information that will help to clearly define the patient’s diagnosis as it related to all the data or
information being gathered. I have also found that my preceptor also engages in a culturally
sensitive interview process that helps to make the patient feel more comfortable and able to
offer more information and feedback. According to Foster, Seritan and Lomax (2016), a
culturally sensitive psychiatric interview is critical to the successful diagnosis and
implementation process of the patient’s care plan.
3. Describe which element of your interview format is most helpful in your practice
I believe that the most important element in my practice of patient’s initial interview lies
in setting the initial tone of the interview process. This I believe is the most important part of
the entire process because it will determine whether or not the interview is successful in
leading to the pertinent diagnosis or treatment protocol. This is simply because of the reliance
of the individuals to open to provide the information and data needed in order to proceed
forward. It interesting to note that this trust is the key. This is evident in a recent study where
virtual agents were utilized for in conducting psychiatric interviews. The study showed high
engagements as long as trust was established initially with the patient and the agent. After this
is established, I believe that another critical component is the patient’s history of psychiatric
problem(s) – including treatment response, which is also a key element.

References
Foster A., Seritan A.L., & Lomax J.W. (2016). The Psychiatric Interview. In: Rao N., Roberts L.
(eds) International Medical Graduate Physicians. Springer, Cham.

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 Philip, P. et al. (2020) Trust and acceptance of a virtual psychiatric interview between embodied
conversational agents and outpatients. npj Digital Medicine, 3(2), 1-7.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41746-019-0213-y
Waldinger, R. & Jacobson A. (n.d.). The Initial Psychiatric Interview. Retrieved from
https://www.brown.edu/Courses/BI_278/Other/Clerkship/Didactics/Readings/THE%20INITIAL
%20PSYCHIATRIC%20INTERVIEW.pdf

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