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The evaluation of every patient begins at the time of initial contact, whether that contact is with a physician, with a clinician performing a triage interview, or with a clinic staff member who is representing the doctor. The preliminary evaluation is focused on collecting the data that the clinician considers pertinent for making a diagnosis and determining the appropriate treatment. Del Piccolo and Goss (2012) have noted the importance of trying to understand the patient’s problems and concerns even at this early stage of data gathering. This first interaction also serves as the beginning of the therapeutic alliance and as the moment when the patient may begin to partner with the health care team. This therapeutic encounter between the patient, who is the expert on his or her own experience and distress, and the psychiatrist, who can bring expertise to relieve suffering and restore health, is very important.
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