Subject: [Ailist] AI approach to competency development

[Lynn D. Johnson]

I think the best kind of competency development is to use ongoing 
continuous feedback from patients.

There can be two kinds:
1. Clinical checklist of problems. Scan for improvements and ask why the 
patient improved in the past week or month.
2. Alliance checklist. I have one that is free; David Burns has one in 
his Therapist Toolkit (www.feelinggood.com)

Give both each visit, the clinical checklist before the visit and the 
alliance checklist after the visit. Therapists who follow this protocol 
improve clinical outcomes by 30% or more. Fewer visits overall, but more 
visits for high risk clients.

Teach the nurses to look for improvements, not just for problems. In 
mental health, we focus on exceptions to the problem, times when things 
go unusually well, and find ways to replicate that. This is the polar 
opposite to how health care providers are trained, namely to look for 
problems, diagnose the underlying cause, and provide a corrective action.

A good source of this positive approach is the Positive Psychology 
movement. See also Solution focused therapy sites.

Best wishes,
Lynn

Lynn D. Johnson, Ph.D.
Solutions Consulting Group
166 East 5900 South, Ste. B-108
Salt Lake City, UT 84107

(801) 261-1412