A computer-conducted patient interview for measuring symptomatic change has been developed and pilot tested with ten inpatients,ten day-care patients, and ten outpatients. The interview is concerned with individualized target symptoms and a standardized symptom scale, the Hopkins Symptom Check List. Four repetitions of the interview are possible and a computer printout suitable for clinical use and summarizing all completed interviews for the patient is available immediately after each interview.
Data, which are complete and standardized, are stored on magnetic tape in computer processable form for research analysis. Patients interact easily with the computer terminal and though reaction to the experiences is mixed, all patients were able to formulate and express their problems including painful personal material, in meaningful terms.