Problem Formulation: The Problem-Oriented Record
RALPH S. RYBACK M.D., and
JOHANNA S. GARDNER M.D.1
1 Resident in psychiatry at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Mass.
The authors discuss the benefits of using a problem-oriented record (chiefly the clearer documentation of treatment, the simplification of communication among mental health personnel, and the stimulation of further research) and the problems inherent in applying this approach to psychiatric practice. Both the benefits and the problems are illustrated by means of two case reports.
