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Biomedical subjects

P M McLaren

Publications and source records attributed to P M McLaren.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Evaluating the alliance in videolink teletherapy.

The use of videoconferencing in psychotherapy remains largely unexplored. Videoconferencing compromises the range and quality of interactional information and thus might be expected to affect the working alliance (WA) between client and therapist, and consequently the process and outcome of therapy. A single case study exploring the effect of videoconferencing on the development of the WA in the psychological treatment of a female-male transsexual is described. The self-rated Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) was used to measure client and therapist perceptions of the WA after each session over 10 sessions of eclectic therapy conducted over a videolink. The serial WAI measurements charting the development of the WA in 4 cases of 10-session, face-to-face therapy by Horvath and Marx were used as a quasi-control. Therapist and client impressions of teletherapy are described. WAI scores were essentially similar to the face-to-face control group except for lower client-rated bond subscale scores. It is suggested that client personality factors accounted for this difference and that videoconferencing did not impair the development of an adequate working alliance or successful therapeutic outcome.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗

Interpersonal communications and telemedicine: hypotheses and methods.

Demonstration interviews between a psychiatrist who has used videolinks for a range of clinical interactions and a simulated patient facilitate a better understanding of interpersonal communication, both face to face and mediated. This might allow users to be trained to maximize the use of the available communications technology and provide a source of more rational reassurance for the technophobic professional.

Attitude↗

A comparison of communication modes in adult psychiatry.

The process and outcome of clinical tasks in an acute psychiatric unit were compared using four different communication modes: face to face, telephone, hands-free telephone, and a low-cost videoconferencing system. Six doctors and six patients took part in the study. Four assessment measures were used. The videoconferencing system was positively received by both patients and doctors. Both doctors and patients preferred communication modes with visual cues. However, there were few significant differences between communication modes when using single measures; only multiple levels of analysis can adequately assess the differences between such modes of communication.

Adult↗

The personality structure of 'normal' volunteers.

The personality structure of 65 volunteers for a Phase 1 drug trial was examined using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. It revealed a common pattern of high extroversion, low neuroticism and psychoticism. The reasons why the study might attract such people are examined and the structure compared with those that take drugs that might have 'strange or dangerous effects'. The likely forms of bias that this personality structure may bring to the trial are explored.

Adult↗

Preliminary evaluation of a Low-Cost VideoConferencing (LCVC) system for remote cognitive testing of adult psychiatric patients.

Mini-Mental State Examination scores were compared in an adult psychiatric population when the test was performed face to face and over a Low-Cost VideoConferencing System (LCVC). The minor changes to the instrument that are required to make it compatible with the LCVC are described. The high correlations achieved between the test scores in the two conditions suggests that this cognitive screening test may be reliably performed in this group of patients over the LCVC.

Adult↗

Preliminary evaluation of a low cost videoconferencing system for teaching in clinical psychiatry.

The use of a digitized low cost videoconferencing system (LCVC) for the teaching of clinical medical students on clinical attachment to a psychiatric ward is described. This work was performed as part of the Telemed project which is evaluating the use of the LCVC in a range of tasks in clinical psychiatry. Any move towards greater reliance on communications technology in psychiatry should take account of the requirements of clinical teaching. The case presentation was used as a teaching paradigm in a controlled study comparing teaching face-to-face with teaching mediated via the LCVC. A questionnaire was developed for student evaluation of the case presentation. General user responses to the LCVC are reported. No significant differences were found between the conditions. User responses were favourable, suggesting that remote interactive teaching via the LCVC warrants further investigation.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗