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Use of an expanded version of the DSM-IV outline for cultural formulation on a cultural consultation service
Clinical work with diverse populations requires assessment and treatment planning that are sensitive to ethnocultural background and social context. To assist clinicians in identifying clinically relevant aspects of patients' cultural background, DSM-IV introduced an outline for cultural formulation. The cultural formulation has not been widely incorporated into standard clinical practice; however, and despite a report that identified the refinement of cultural formulation as a high priority in preparation for DSM-V, there are no published evaluations of its utility. This study assessed the usefulness of the DSM-IV Outline for Cultural Formulation from the perspective of consultants working for a Cultural Consultation Service (CCS) in an outpatient psychiatry department of a general hospital in Montreal, Canada.