Universal Trauma Screening in an Adult Behavioral Health Setting

The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (PCL-5) with Criterion A was universally used in admission screening to pilot a trauma-informed care process for quality improvement.

All adult inpatient behavioral health patients at a Mid-Atlantic county hospital were screened for trauma exposure on admission. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition with Criterion A was provided to all adults admitted to a 27-bed inpatient behavioral health unit for 8 weeks. Quantitative descriptive statistics were calculated based on self-report PCL-5 scores; qualitative data were gathered from staff and stakeholders.

During the pilot period, there was a 49.2% response rate. Fifty respondents (53.8%) screened positive for trauma as recorded on the Criterion A portion. Seventeen (18.3%) were negative for trauma self-report, and 26 (30.0%) did not complete this portion. Fifty-six (60.2%) completed screens scored 33 or greater on the PCL-5 portion. Staff found the timing of administration convenient but expressed concern over emotional cost to patient.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition with Criterion A served as guidepost for trauma-informed assessment, treatment, and referrals. Future considerations may include timing of presentation to patient, electronic translation of the tool to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration, and tracking of screening completion.