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Beyond the global assessment of functioning: learning from Virginia Apgar
Joel E Dimsdale1, Dilip V Jeste, Thomas L Patterson
1correspondence and M.D., Dept. of Psychiatry, Univ. of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093-0804, USA. jdimsdale@ucsd.edu
Psychosomatics
|November 6, 2010
Summary
The Psychiatric Apgar scale, inspired by the Apgar scale, shows significant agreement with the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale. This new tool offers clearer guidance for assessing psychiatric patient functioning.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Psychometrics
- Clinical Assessment
Background:
- The Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scale is a widely utilized tool in psychiatric practice.
- Despite its prevalence, the GAF scale presents certain limitations that hinder its optimal application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the development of an improved successor to the GAF scale.
- To foster further discussion and research into refining psychiatric functioning assessments.
Main Methods:
- The Apgar scale served as a foundational template for creating a novel assessment tool.
- A panel of 16 experts identified five core domains crucial for evaluating psychiatric functioning.
- Psychiatrists administered both the GAF and the new Psychiatric Apgar scale to 40 patients across various clinical settings.
Main Results:
- A significant level of agreement was observed between the GAF scale and the Psychiatric Apgar scale.
- The Psychiatric Apgar scale demonstrated superior clarity in providing guidance for assessing patient functioning.
Conclusions:
- The GAF scale represented a significant advancement in psychiatric assessment.
- Optimizing the GAF approach by incorporating principles from the Apgar scale is a relevant consideration for future diagnostic manuals.
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