Training in the use of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) must be obtained at a World Health Organization authorized CIDI Training and Reference Centre (WHO-CIDI TRC). These TRCs offer training and support for use of the CIDI.

The CIDI training course is appropriate for principal investigators who plan to use the CIDI in research projects, study managers who will be in charge of implementing research projects, data analysts who will be working with data generated from CIDI studies, and interviewers. The training addresses issues in data collection, editing, coding and data cleaning and provides hands-on experience in the administration of the CIDI.

Training in the Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI) version includes a copy of the Blaise CAPI program. Training in the paper and pencil (PAPI) version includes Word files containing the most recent version of the instrument and a copy of the Blaise Direct Data Entry (DDE) program used to enter the interview data. Both CAPI and PAPI training includes a copy of the SAS programs to generate DSM-IV and ICD-10 diagnoses. These programs are modularized so that the entire questionnaire can be used, or a subset of the WHO-CIDI diagnoses can be selected for administration. Trainees also receive access to the restricted section of the CIDI website, to download current versions and receive updates to the instruments and algorithms as they become available.