The PQRSTUV: the Personal Questionnaire Rapid Scaling Technique--'Ultimate Version'.

Area of Science:

• Psychological assessment
• Clinical psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• The PQRST (Pre-Questionnaire Symptom Tracking) is a valuable tool for assessing psychological distress.
• Existing methods for administering and constructing PQRST-related scales can be time-consuming.
• Shapiro's original PQ scale presents a benchmark for comparison in terms of construction time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a time-efficient variation of Mulhall's PQRST procedure.
• To evaluate the trade-offs between reduced administration time and scale sensitivity.
• To provide a practical alternative for clinical settings.

Main Methods:

• A modified administration protocol for Mulhall's PQRST was developed.
• The variation utilizes standard PQRST materials with minor clerical adjustments.
• Comparative analysis of administration and construction time was performed against existing scales.

Main Results:

• The described variation significantly reduces the time needed for PQRST administration.
• A decrease in scale sensitivity was observed, while other key features were preserved.
• Construction time is less than Shapiro's original PQ scale.

Conclusions:

• This modified PQRST offers a faster alternative for clinical use.
• The procedure is suitable for routine application in general practice and psychiatry out-patient settings.
• The variation is primarily intended for clinical utility rather than research purposes.