Family-centered Care in the Outpatient General Psychiatry Clinic

Although family research supports family-centered care for all medical specialties, the benefit of family-centered care has not been fully realized in outpatient practice. Physicians, including psychiatrists, are not routinely taught how to work with families and may not be aware of the evidence-base for family interventions. However, some medical specialties, such as family medicine and palliative care, have a clinical practice that routinely includes the family. Clinicians working in medical clinics, such as diabetes clinics, know that successful management of chronic illness requires family involvement. Psychiatric clinics, such as The Family Center for Bipolar Disorder at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, also have a family-centered practice and show improved patient outcomes. This article provides guidelines, including clinical interview questions, to help psychiatrists practice family-centered care, either in a private office or in a general psychiatric outpatient clinic. The guidelines include questions that identify when to seek an in-depth family assessment or consultation. Family-centered care will become more useful when health care reimbursement focuses on patient outcome.