Development and initial testing of a structured clinical observation tool to assess pharmacotherapy competence.

Objective: the authors developed and tested the feasibility and utility of a new direct-observation instrument to assess trainee performance of a medication management session.

Methods: the Psychopharmacotherapy-Structured Clinical Observation (P-SCO) instrument was developed based on multiple sources of expertise and then implemented in 4 university-based outpatient medication management clinics with 7 faculty supervising 17 third-year residents. After each observation by a faculty member of a medication management session, residents received feedback in writing (the completed P-SCO) and verbally in person.

Improving resident education and patient safety: a method to balance initial caseloads at academic year-end transfer.

Purpose: In outpatient continuity clinics, incoming trainees may receive caseloads that are unbalanced in terms of the mental workload required from each resident. When significant, these imbalances may compromise resident learning and patient safety. Using data from psychiatric outpatient continuity clinics, this study tested a method for balancing initial caseloads.