Abstract
Objective: The “hypothesis-driven interview” was articulated by George Engel as a method of raising and testing hypotheses in the process of building a biopsychosocial formulation and determining the most likely diagnosis. This interview was a forerunner of the modern medical interview as well as the contemporary psychiatric assessment. The objective of this article is to describe the hypothesis-driven interview and to explore its relationship with the contemporary medical interview.
Method: The literature on the medical and hypothesis-driven interview was reviewed. Key features of each were identified.
Results: The hypothesis-driven interview shares much with the contemporary medical interview. In addition, it enhances the application of communication skills and allows the interviewer to develop a formulation during the course of the assessment.
Conclusion: The hypothesis-driven interview is well suited to the aims of a contemporary psychiatric assessment.
DISCLOSURE
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.