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Validation of computer-administered clinical rating scale: Hamilton Depression Rating Scale assessment with

Hiroshi Kunugi1, Norie Koga, Miyako Hashikura

  • 1Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.

Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
|May 21, 2013
PubMed

Insights

The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) program shows high reliability and validity for assessing the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) total score in Japanese patients. However, it may overestimate depression severity, requiring further program refinement.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Medical Informatics
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) is a widely used clinical tool for assessing depression severity.
  • Accurate and reliable assessment of depression is crucial for effective treatment and patient management.
  • Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology offers a potential method for remote and standardized data collection in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the reliability and validity of a Japanese Interactive Voice Response (IVR) program for administering the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D).
  • To assess the performance of the IVR program in comparison to clinician and psychologist ratings of depression severity.

Main Methods:

  • Sixty Japanese depressive patients were assessed using the HAM-D by clinicians and psychologists.
  • The IVR program administered the HAM-D on the same and subsequent days.
  • Statistical analyses included intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for test-retest reliability, Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency, and Pearson's correlation coefficient for concurrent validity.

Main Results:

  • The IVR program demonstrated high test-retest reliability (ICC: 0.93) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.83).
  • Concurrent validity was high, with strong correlations between clinician and IVR ratings (0.81).
  • The IVR program tended to overestimate depression severity compared to clinician ratings, and inter-rater agreement for individual items was fair (Cohen's kappa: 0.02-0.50).

Conclusions:

  • The Japanese IVR HAM-D program is a reliable and valid tool for assessing the total HAM-D score in Japanese depressive patients.
  • The program's tendency to overestimate depression severity and variable agreement on individual items suggest areas for improvement.
  • Further refinement of the IVR program is recommended to enhance its accuracy and clinical utility.
Abstract

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