The health care matrix formulation: a tool for competency assessment in psychiatry residency training.

Objective: To assert the importance of the use of the healthcare matrix formulation for competency assessment in psychiatry residency training.

Methods: We present a case from our inpatient psychiatric facility and format it in the form of the healthcare matrix, which was developed at Vanderbilt University incorporating the Institute of Medicine 'aims' and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education 'core competencies'. We also analyze the healthcare matrix and elucidate its use in clinical practice.

Results: The healthcare matrix provides us with a practical tool to analyze any complex episode of patient care, like the one in our psychiatric setting, and allows us to learn from the shortcomings in order to improve.

Conclusion: The optimal utilization of this tool in the competency assessment of psychiatry residents has an enormous practical implication by transforming the case and morbidity and mortality conferences into a well-structured learning and improvement format.