Such tests have a high reliability, which has been established in prior research. Here reliability means that two interviewers assessing the same client will generate highly similar conclusions. The reliability of these techniques may be enhanced by using rating scales. It is chiefly for this reason that recent versions of the DSM-IV have emphasized an 'operational' assessment approach. Recently several computer programs such as the Computerized Diagnostic Interview for Children that can be completed by the interviewer and which involve highly sophisticated branching subroutines, have been developed.
Observations are an important part of patient assessment.
In order to increase reliability of observation, rating scales both in clinical observation and in self-report by the client are often used. These encourage reliability and objectivity. Recently some attention has been focused on observing a subject's behavior in their natural surrounding. Occasionally when this is not possible, the clinician may contrive observational opportunities that provide information about a person's response to particular circumstances. A clinician can then draw inferences about how much the person's psychological qualities differ from those of a reference group.