Rapid, Adaptive Computer-Based Screener for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Validated Among Veterans

A computerized adaptive diagnostic (CAD) screener that employed 5 or 6 things proficiently and quickly assessed post-traumatic tension disorder (PTSD) amongst veterans. These findings had been published in JAMA Network Open.

The CAD and computerized adaptive test (CAT) screeners for PTSD had been created employing a bank of 211 PTSD-linked things. The tools had been optimized employing a bifactorial model and simulating responses. The tools had been optimized by recruiting veterans (n=713) at a mountain state metropolitan Veterans Affairs Medical Center from 2017 to 2019 and validated with a subsample (n=304) of men and women.

The complete and subsample had a imply age of 52.8±15. and 47.1±12.6 years, 82.3% and 80.9% had been guys, 78.6% and 72.7% had been White, the imply duration of active-duty service was 8.2±7.5 and 7.2±6.4 years, and the imply quantity of deployments to combat zones had been 1.0±1.5 and 5.5±1.8, respectively.

Compared with responses to 203 things about PTSD, a subset of 10 things was strongly correlated (r, .95). This 10-item CAT-PTSD assessment took a median time of 59 (interquartile variety [IQR], 32-117) seconds to comprehensive.

A sensitivity evaluation was used to decide PTSD severity cutoffs. No PTSD vs mild PTSD corresponded with a CAT-PTSD score of 35 (sensitivity, 95% specificity, 51%), 47 for mild vs moderate (sensitivity, 79% specificity, 78%), and 60 for moderate vs extreme (sensitivity, 50% specificity, 93%).

With the subsample, the CAT-PTSD tool had an location beneath the curve (AUC) of .85 (95% CI, .79-.89), which did not differ from the complete 203-item PTSD questionnaire (AUC, .84 95% CI, .79-.89) and outperformed the PTSD Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (AUC, .75 95% CI, .68-.82).

For the CAD-PTSD tool, a 6-item interview of an person with no PTSD proficiently assessed the person as possessing a probability of PTSD of .01 and a 5-item interview of an person with PTSD with a probability of .81.

The CAD-PTSD tool was discovered to be correct (AUC, .91 95% CI, .87-.95), taking only 35 (IQR, 19-70) seconds to comprehensive.

These tools may possibly be restricted by not enabling for the monitoring or evaluation of PTSD-precise symptoms.

The study authors concluded that the CAD-PTSD and CAT-PTSD tools may possibly enable for speedy PTSD screening amongst veterans, potentially decreasing the burden for each patient and clinician in the routine veteran well being care setting.

Disclosure: Some study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, device, and/or test businesses. Please see the original reference for a complete list of authors’ disclosures.