Pathways linking clinician demographics to mental health diagnostic accuracy: An international perspective

Abstract

Objective This study examined the impact of clinicians’ demographics and response time on diagnostic accuracy. Method We conducted mediation analyses on data from a WHO field study of the ICD­11 that required clinicians (N = 1,822, 44.3% female, 44.92 years old) to diagnose two case vignettes. Results Contradictory to decision‐making theories, clinicians with more years of experience and slower response times had higher rates of diagnostic accuracy. In comparison to North American clinicians, clinicians in Asia who responded faster had lower accuracy rates, and clinicians in South America who responded slower had higher accuracy rates. Medical professionals with quicker response times had lower accuracy rates compared with psychologists and other clinical professionals. Conclusion Findings indicate that clinicians should consider how their clinical setting, level of experience, and response time influence the diagnostic process. Future research on diagnostic accuracy should consider additional mediating factors, such as cultural differences in response time.