Basic readings in consultation psychiatry

Abstract

Dr. Mohl is an associate professor ofpsychiatry at the University ofTexas Health Science Center. and Dr. Cohen-Cole is an associate professor ofpsychiatry at Emory University. Reprint requests to Dr. Mohl in the Department ofPsychiatry. University ofTexas Health Science Center at San Antonio. 7703 Floyd Curl Drive. San Antonio. TX. 78284. As tertiary care medicine has grown more specialized, the clinical need for and cost-effectiveness of psychiatric and psychosocial care for medical patients have increasingly been recognized. Similarly, the growth of primary care programs in medicine and family practice has led to parallel needs for psychiatric and psychosocial services for general medical patients, and for psychiatric training of medical housestaff. In recognition of these relatively new demands and opportunities for psychiatric services and training, the Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Section of the Association for Academic Psychiatry (AAP) has been working to develop a more thorough and intellectually coherent basis for C-L psychiatry. Under the chairmanship of Don Lipsitt, M.D., the C-L section has encouraged required C-L rotations in general psychiatry residencies and it has proposed a set of basic objectives for provision of competent consultation to medical colleagues. I These objectives, developed by a task force chaired by one of the authors (SC-C), were derived from recommendations of leading academic C-L psychiatrists concerning the basic knowledge and skills needed by general psychiatrists in consultation psychiatry. To increase the usefulness of these objectives, the Section then sought to develop a set of readings tied to each of them. It was thought that such a reading list would help the field of C-L psychiatry, as a relatively new area of practice and training, and would further define its distinct educational content and clinical approaches. In order to create this reading list, a task force, chaired by the two authors, solicited readings from AAP members as well as from several additional nationally prominent C-L programs (eg. at UCLA). In all, 617 different readings from 18 different programs were proposed for the final list. Evaluation forms were developed to rate each article's comprehensiveness, relevance, clarity. brevity, current content, and overall suitability for a basic reading list. All recommended readings were evaluated by at least one of 27 reviewers as well as by one of II task force members (see Appendix). Task force members then made final recommendations for the list based on these evaluations. When there was disagreement or lack of certainty, the two co-authors collaboratively made final decisions concerning which readings should be recommended for each objective. A draft reading list was presented to the C-L section of the AAP at its annual meeting in March 1984. This presentation led to additional modifications. The final choice of 86 recommended readings tied to 46 specific objectives is listed below. These are suggested as basic readings on material that the Section believed should be mastered by psychiatrists.