PC-PTSD-5 - Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5
Duration: 2-3 minutesQuestion 1 of 5
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In the past month, have you had nightmares about the event(s) or thought about the event(s) when you did not want to?
FAQs
What is the PC-PTSD-5?
The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) is a 5-item screening tool designed to identify individuals with probable PTSD in primary care and other medical settings.
Purpose and Use
- Screening Tool: Brief identification of probable PTSD
- Primary Care: Designed for busy medical settings
- DSM-5 Aligned: Corresponds to current PTSD diagnostic criteria
- Population: Adults and adolescents aged 11 and older
What It Measures
- Re-experiencing: Intrusive memories, nightmares
- Avoidance: Avoiding trauma-related stimuli
- Negative Cognitions: Mood and cognitive changes
- Arousal: Hypervigilance, sleep disturbance
- Functional Impairment: Impact on daily functioning
Scoring and Interpretation
- Range: 0-5 (sum of yes responses)
- Cutoff Score: ≥3 suggests probable PTSD
- Sensitivity: 0.88 (captures most PTSD cases)
- Specificity: 0.74 (reasonable false positive rate)
Clinical Applications
- Primary Care: Initial PTSD screening
- Emergency Medicine: Trauma-related visits
- Mental Health: Intake screening
- Research: Population studies
Limitations
- Screening tool only - not diagnostic
- Requires clinical follow-up for positive screens
- Brief format may miss some cases
- Not suitable for comprehensive assessment
Follow-up Recommendations
- Score ≥3: Conduct comprehensive PTSD assessment
- Consider: PCL-5, CAPS-5, or clinical interview
- Referral: Mental health specialist if indicated
- Safety: Assess for suicide risk if positive