Carlson et al evaluated risk factors for posttraumatic stress/psychological disorder (PTSD) for a patient suffering trauma. These can help to identify a patient who may require more aggressive management. The authors are from VA Palo Alto Health Care Center, Summa Health System, and Stanford University.
Patient selection: person exposed to trauma
Parameters
(1) acute stress symptoms, based on the Screen for Posttraumatic Stress Scale
(2) negative thoughts, based on the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory
(3) early social support, based on the Medical Outcomes Social Support Survey
(4) early social constraints, based on Social Constraints Scale, from 0 to 45
Parameter
Score
Points
acute stress symptoms
< 23
0
>= 23
1
negative thoughts
< 13
0
>= 13
1
early social support
< 3.65
0
>= 3.65
1
early social constraints
< 28
0
>= 28
1
total score =
= SUM(points for all of the parameters)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 4
• A score >= 2 is predictive of PTSD.
Perforamnce:
• The area under the ROC curve was 0.91, with sensitivity 0.86 and specificity 0.72.
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