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Screening Measures (screening + measure)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	95%

Distribution within Medical Sciences

Nursing General	13%
Psychiatry	8%

Selected Abstracts

EVIDENCE FOR THE VALIDITY OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION'S CAREGIVER SELF-ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE AS A SCREENING MEASURE FOR DEPRESSION

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 2 2010
Gary Epstein-Lubow MD
No abstract is available for this article. [source]

Attention Problems in Very Low Birth Weight Preschoolers: Are New Screening Measures Needed for This Special Population?

JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, Issue 2 2007
Deborah Winders Davis DNS
PROBLEM:,Children born prematurely have been shown to have a range of problems that often result in delayed academic achievement. METHODS:,The current study assessed both attention problem scores (Child Behavior Checklist) and actual performance on tasks tapping three attention networks in a sample of children (n = 94) born with very low birth weights (VLBW; , 1500 grams). FINDINGS:,Attention problem scores were extremely low and did not predict children's actual attention performance. CONCLUSIONS:,A body of research is developing that suggests VLBW children may have specific, yet subtle, attention problems that may differ from those of other children. [source]

Detecting Alcohol-Related Problems in Developing Countries: A Comparison of 2 Screening Measures in India

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 12 2009
Madhabika B. Nayak
Background:, There is inadequate recognition of alcohol misuse as a public health issue in India. Information on screening measures is critical for prevention and early intervention efforts. This study critically evaluated the full and shorter versions of the AUDIT and RAPS4-QF as screening measures for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in a community sample of male drinkers in Goa, India. Methods:, Data from male drinking respondents in a population study on alcohol use patterns and sexual risk behaviors in randomly selected rural and urban areas of North Goa are reported. Overall, 39% (n = 743) of the 1899 screened men, age 18 to 49, reported consuming alcohol in the last 12 months. These current drinkers were administered the screening measures as part of detailed interviews on drinking patterns and AUD symptoms. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted for each combination of screening measure and criterion (alcohol dependence or any AUD). Reliability and correlations among the 4 measures were also examined. Results:, All 4 measures performed well with area under the curves of at least 0.79. The full screeners that included both drinking patterns and problem items (the AUDIT and the RAP4-QF) performed better than their shorter versions (the AUDIT-C and the RAPS4) in detecting AUDs. Performance of the AUDIT and RAPS4-QF improved with lowered and raised thresholds, respectively, and alternate cut-off scores are suggested. Scores on the full measures were significantly correlated (0.80). Reliability estimates for the AUDIT measures were higher than those for the RAPS4 measures. Conclusions:, All measures were efficient at detecting AUDs. When screening for alcohol-related problems among males in the general population in India, cut-off scores for screeners may need to be adjusted. Selecting an appropriate screening measure and cut-off score necessitates careful consideration of the screening context and resources available to confirm alcohol-related diagnoses. [source]

Prevalence of acute and post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid mental disorders in breast cancer patients during primary cancer care: a prospective study

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
Anja Mehnert
Abstract This study aimed at the identification of acute and post-traumatic stress responses, and comorbid mental disorders in breast cancer patients. Structured clinical interviews for DSM-IV (SCID) were conducted post-surgery with 127 patients (t1). Screening measures were used to assess post-traumatic stress responses, anxiety, and depression at t1 and at 6 months follow-up (t2). Based on the SCID, prevalence rates were 2.4% for both, cancer-related ASD and PTSD. Experiences most frequently described as traumatic were the cancer diagnosis itself and subsequent feelings of uncertainty. Patients with lifetime PTSD (8.7%) were more likely to meet the criteria for cancer-related ASD or PTSD (OR=14.1). Prevalence estimates were 7.1% for Adjustment Disorder, 4.7% for Major Depression, 3.1% for Dysthymic Disorder and 6.3% for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Using the screening instruments, IES-R, PCL-C and HADS, we found PTSD in 18.5% at t1 and 11.2,16.3% at t2. The estimates of anxiety and depression reveal rates of 39.6% (t1) and 32.7% (t2) for anxiety, as well as 16.0% (t1) and 13.3% (t2) for depression (t1) (cut-off,8). The diagnosis of a life-threatening illness has been included as a potential trauma in the DSM-IV. However, it has to be critically evaluated whether subjective feelings of uncertainty like fears of treatment count among traumatic stressors, and thus, whether the diagnosis of PTSD is appropriate in this group of cancer patients. However, a large number of women with emotional distress illustrate the need for psychosocial counseling and support in this early treatment phase. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

An Evaluation of an Intervention to Assist Primary Care Physicians in Screening and Educating Older Patients Who Use Alcohol

JOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 11 2005
Arlene Fink PhD
Objectives: To evaluate whether providing physicians and older patients with personalized reports of drinking risks and benefits and patient education reduces alcohol-related risks and problems. Design: Prospective comparison study. Setting: Community primary care. Participants: Twenty-three physicians and 665 patients aged 65 and older. Intervention: Combined report, in which six physicians and 212 patients received reports of patients' drinking classifications and patients also received education; patient report, in which 245 patients received reports and education, but their five physicians did not receive reports; and usual care. Measurements: Assessments at baseline and 12 months later to determine patients' nonhazardous (no known risks), hazardous (risks for problems), or harmful (presence of problems) classifications using the Computerized Alcohol-Related Problems Survey (CARPS). The CARPS contains a scanned screening measure and scoring algorithms and automatically produces patient and physician reports and patient education. Results: At baseline, 21% were harmful drinkers, and 26% were hazardous drinkers. The patient report and combined report interventions were each associated with greater odds of lower-risk drinking at follow-up than usual care (odds ratio=1.59 and 1.23, respectively, P<.05 for each). The patient report intervention significantly reduced harmful drinking at follow-up from an expected 21% in usual care to 16% and increased nonhazardous drinking from 52% expected in usual care to 58%. Patients in the combined report intervention experienced a significantly greater average decrease in quantity and frequency. Conclusion: Older primary care patients can effectively reduce their alcohol consumption and other drinking risks when given personalized information about their drinking and health. [source]

An observational study of screening for malnutrition in elderly people living in sheltered accommodation

JOURNAL OF HUMAN NUTRITION & DIETETICS, Issue 1 2008
D. G. Harris
Abstract Background, Elderly people are particularly at risk of malnutrition. There is no consensus regarding the optimal malnutrition screening test for elderly people and little is known about the prevalence of malnutrition in elderly people living in sheltered housing. Method, An observational study comparing sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive values of the following screening measures in elderly people living in sheltered accommodation: body mass index, mid-arm circumference, albumin, haemoglobin, lymphocyte count, cholesterol and the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). A dietitian assessment was used as the gold standard to establish whether there was a risk of malnutrition. Results, Of 100 people recruited (31 male and 69 female with average age 79.3 years) ten were categorized at risk by the dietitian assessment. The MUST score was the most sensitive and specific screening measure (100% and 98% respectively) with a negative predictive value of 1. The sensitivity and specificity of the other measures were: MNA 80% and 90%, mid-arm circumference 70% and 99%, BMI 60% and 90%, albumin 30% and 77%, haemoglobin 50% and 61%, lymphocyte count 20% and 86%, low cholesterol 30% and 90%. Conclusions, Ten per cent of elderly people in sheltered housing are at risk of malnutrition. The MUST screening tool is a sensitive and specific method of identifying those requiring further nutritional assessment. [source]

Detecting Alcohol-Related Problems in Developing Countries: A Comparison of 2 Screening Measures in India

Replicability and stability of the multidimensional model of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in late pregnancy

JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC & MENTAL HEALTH NURSING, Issue 3 2007
J. JOMEEN phd ma rm rgn
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is a widely used screening tool for post-natal depression (PND). Recent factor analytic investigations of the EPDS have suggested the instrument may be useful in the prediction of PND as the instrument appears to be multidimensional, thus facilitating sub-scale development for this purpose. The psychometric properties of the EPDS were evaluated in women in the third trimester of pregnancy. Confirmatory factor analyses found support for the multidimensionality of the instrument; however, there was clear variability in model fit to data suggesting previous reports of the stability of the underlying factor structure of this instrument may be over-optimistic. The potential for development of the EPDS as a predictive screening measure of PND is likely to be optimistic because of variability in the factor structure of the instrument over the course of pregnancy and in the post-natal period. [source]

Detection of Maternal Alcohol Use Problems in the Pediatric Emergency Department

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 7 2006
Heather A. Flynn
Background: Maternal alcohol use problems may impact the health and well-being of children, but often remain unrecognized. Mothers of young children seldom seek outpatient care for themselves; thus, pediatric settings may present an opportunity for the detection of maternal alcohol use problems. This study examines the feasibility of screening for and prevalence of alcohol use problems in mothers of young children in the context of seeking pediatric emergency care. We also examined the relationship of maternal alcohol use problems with use of pediatric emergency care. Methods: A total of 361 English-speaking mothers of children aged 7 and younger completed screening measures during their child's emergency care visit. TWEAK was used to screen for alcohol use problems. The screening survey also included information on children's health status and health care use, demographics, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Results: Of the women approached, 90% agreed to complete the screening measure. On the basis of cutoff score of 2 or more, 7% of women had elevated TWEAK scores. Those women with a TWEAK score >2 reported greater use of the pediatric emergency department (PED) than women scoring below the cutoff. On the basis of multivariate analyses, significant predictors of recent PED use included the presence of child chronic illness, younger maternal age, and TWEAK score. Conclusions: Screening for alcohol use problems among mothers of young children using the TWEAK appears to be feasible in a busy PED setting. The PED setting is promising for identifying risk drinking among women who may be less likely to be otherwise detected and for whom alcohol use may be impacting child outcomes. [source]

Screening for distress in patients with brain cancer using the NCCN's rapid screening measure

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 6 2008
Stephen T. Keir
Abstract Goals of work: Patients with brain cancer are at a risk of experiencing elevated levels of distress due to the severe functional, neurocognitive, and neuropsychological sequelae of the disease. Using the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's Distress Thermometer, we evaluated the extent and sources of distress within a population of patients with brain cancer. Patients and methods: Participants were asked to complete the Distress Thermometer, a single-item rapid screening tool for distress. The Distress Thermometer is a visual analog scale on which participants rate their level of distress from ,0' (none) to ,10' (extreme). Participants were also asked to designate which items from a 34-item list constitute sources of distress. Main results: Fifty-two percent of participants met the ,4 cut-off score for distress. The scores were positively correlated with patient-reported emotional sources of distress (r=0.444, p<0.001), physical sources of stress (r=0.231, p<0.05), and total number of concerns (r=0.368, p<0.001). On average, brain tumor patients reported 5.8 cancer-related items of concern. Conclusion: Brain cancer patients are likely to experience distress at some point during their disease trajectory. Patient-reported emotional sources of distress should be targeted and interventions should be designed to address sources of distress such as worry, sadness, and depression. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

The validity of the family relationships index as a screening tool for psychological risk in families of cancer patients

PSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 7 2005
Ben Edwards
The Family Relationships Inventory (FRI) has been proposed as a measure of psychological risk however its validity has only been tested in one cross-sectional study against another measure of family functioning where patients had less than six months to live. The current study presented longitudinal data on the validity of the FRI in identifying family dysfunction, and clinical levels of depression and anxiety in 48 families where the patient had been recently diagnosed. Over the three phases, the FRI identified all families at risk of family dysfunction, 88% or more families with one or more members with clinical depression and 78% or more with a member with clinical levels of anxiety. The FRI was also far more sensitive in identifying families with a member with clinical levels of depression and anxiety than the General Functioning (FAD-GF) scale of the Family Assessment Device. Although other measures of screening adequacy (such as specificity), suggested that the FRI identified too many false positives, the higher sensitivity of the FRI makes it preferable to the FAD-GF as a screening measure for families at risk of a poor psychological outcome in the oncology setting. However, because of the FRI's poor specificity, further follow-up of those families that are identified as being at some risk of a poor psychological outcome should be undertaken before referral to a mental health professional is warranted. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Use of a novel technology for presenting screening measures to detect mild cognitive impairment in elderly patients

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 9 2010
D. W. Wright
Summary Background:, Available screening tools for mild cognitive impairment (MCI), often a precursor to Alzheimer's disease, are insensitive or not feasible for administration in a busy primary care setting. Display Enhanced TEsting for Cognitive impairment and Traumatic brain injury (DETECTÔ) addresses these issues by creating an immersive environment for the brief administration of neuropsychological (NP) measures. Objective:, The aim of this study was to determine if the DETECTÔ cognitive subtests can identify MCI patients as accurately as standard pen and paper NP tests. Methods:, Twenty patients with MCI recruited from a memory disorders clinic and 20 age-matched controls were given both a full battery of NP tests (standard NP) and the DETECTÔ screen. Logistic regression models were used to determine whether individual tests were predictive of group membership (MCI or control). Demographic variables including age, race, education and gender were adjusted as covariates. Selection methods were used to identify subset models that exhibited maximum discrimination between MCI patients and controls for both testing methods. Results:, Both the standard NP model (C-index = 0.836) and the DETECTÔ model (C-index = 0.865) showed very good discrimination and were not significantly different (p = 0.7323). Conclusion:, The DETECTÔ system shows good agreement with standard NP tests and is capable of identifying elderly patients with cognitive impairment. [source]

Screening for mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 9 2009
Jane A. Lonie
Abstract Objective Patients with mild cognitive impairment account for a significant number of referrals to old age psychiatry services and specialist memory clinics. The cognitive evaluation of such patients is commonly restricted to brief dementia screens, with no consideration to their suitability for assessing MCI. Here, we review the utility of such cognitive screens for MCI and provide an overview of validated instruments. Methods We identified papers published after Petersen and colleagues 1999 MCI criteria (Petersen et al., 1999) and examining face-to-face cognitive screening for MCI from publication databases using combinations of the search terms ,mild cognitive impairment' and ,cognitive screening'. We also combined the former search with the names of 39 screening tests recently identified in a relevant review (Cullen et al., 2007). Results Fifteen cognitive screening instruments were identified, 11 cover a restricted range of cognitive domains. High sensitivity and specificity for MCI relative to healthy controls were reported for two comprehensive and two noncomprehensive screening instruments, adequate test-retest and inter-rater reliability for only one of these. With the exception of three studies, sample sizes were universally small (i.e. n,,,100), and prognostic values were reported for only two of the identified 15 screening measures. Sensitivities of the full domain measures were universally high, but information about their specificity against psychiatric and non-progressive neurological conditions and predictive validity is lacking. Conclusion Several cognitive screening instruments afford the clinician the ability to detect MCI, early AD, and in some cases non-AD dementia, but they cannot currently be used to make reliable inferences about the course and eventual outcome of MCI. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Screening for major depression in persons with HIV infection: the concurrent predictive validity of the Profile of Mood States Depression-Dejection Scale

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF METHODS IN PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH, Issue 2 2006
Katherine Patterson
Abstract Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is among the most prevalent but underdiagnosed psychiatric disorders in persons with HIV infection. Given the known adverse impact of comorbid MDD on HIV disease progression and health-related quality of life, it is important both for research and for efficient, effective clinical care, to validate existing screening measures that may discriminate between MDD and the somatic symptoms of HIV (such as fatigue). In the current study, we evaluated the concurrent predictive validity of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) Depression-Dejection scale in detecting current MDD in 310 persons with HIV infection. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) diagnosis of MDD and the Cognitive-Affective scale from the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-CA) served as comparative diagnostic and severity measures of depression, respectively. Results demonstrated that the POMS Depression-Dejection scale accurately classified persons with and without MDD SCID diagnoses, with an overall hit rate of 80%, sensitivity of 55%, specificity of 84%, and negative predictive power of 91% using a recommended cutpoint of 1.5 standard deviations above the normative mean. Moreover, the POMS performed comparably to the BDI-CA in classifying MDD. Findings support the predictive validity of the POMS Depression-Dejection scale as a screening instrument for MDD in persons with HIV disease. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Depressive Illness in Teens and Preteens and Effectiveness of the RADS-2 as a First-Stage Assessment.

JOURNAL OF CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC NURSING, Issue 3 2009
Part 1: Descriptive Paper
PROBLEM:, Measurement of the characteristics and severity of depression in adolescence is an emerging science. During patient assessment, or if using first-stage screening measures in practice, nurses must be confident that these instruments demonstrate high levels of accuracy in capturing the specific features of depressive symptoms expressed in diverse individuals. METHODS:, A review of the scientific literature of depressive illness and its assessment in teens and preteens is presented. The Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale,Revised (RADS-2) measure is introduced and evaluated from a nursing practice standpoint. FINDINGS:, The RADS-2 is easy to use and demonstrates good reliability, validity, and construct features, providing evidence for nurses that the measure can be used with confidence in assessment of depressive symptoms in adolescents. CONCLUSIONS:, The RADS-2 is an effective first-stage assessment of depressive mood in teens and preteens. [source]

An observational study of screening for malnutrition in elderly people living in sheltered accommodation

Detecting Alcohol-Related Problems in Developing Countries: A Comparison of 2 Screening Measures in India

Work Requirements and Long-Term Poverty

JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMIC THEORY, Issue 3 2005
FRED SCHROYEN
We study how work requirements can be used to target transfers to the long-term poor. Without commitment, time consistency requires all screening measures to be concentrated in the first phase of the program. We show that this increases the effectiveness of workfare; it is optimal to use work requirements for a wider range of prior beliefs about the size of the poor population, and work requirements are used more intensively. We compare these results with the optimal policy under commitment. [source]

Detection of Maternal Alcohol Use Problems in the Pediatric Emergency Department

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT): A Review of Recent Research

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 2 2002
Duane F. Reinert
Background: Efficient, inexpensive screening for early stage alcohol problems is important in health care settings. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) has been studied extensively to establish its value in this regard. Methods: A literature search that used EtOH as a database was conducted to identify studies published on the AUDIT through September 2001. Keywords used for the search were "Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test" and "AUDIT." All studies reporting psychometric properties of the measure were reviewed with particular attention being given to the period 1996 and later. A small number of additional references were located by noting their citation in other studies reviewed. Results: Although more research is needed on non-English versions to establish their psychometric properties, at least in its English edition, the AUDIT demonstrates sensitivities and specificities comparable, and typically superior, to those of other self-report screening measures. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency are also quite favorable. For males, the AUDIT-C, a shortened version of the AUDIT, appears approximately equal in validity to the full scale. Conclusions: Recent research continues to support use of the AUDIT as a means of screening for alcohol use disorders in health care settings in the United States. [source]

How Can We Improve the Accuracy of Screening Instruments?

LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 4 2009
Evelyn S. Johnson
Screening for early reading problems is a critical step in early intervention and prevention of later reading difficulties. Evaluative frameworks for determining the utility of a screening process are presented in the literature but have not been applied to many screening measures currently in use in numerous schools across the nation. In this study, the accuracy of several Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) subtests in predicting which students were at risk for reading failure in first grade was examined in a sample of 12,055 students in Florida. Findings indicate that the DIBELS Nonsense Word Fluency, Initial Sound Fluency, and Phoneme Segmentation Fluency measures show poor diagnostic utility in predicting end of Grade 1 reading performance. DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency in fall of Grade 1 had higher classification accuracy than other DIBELS measures, but when compared to the classification accuracy obtained by assuming that no student had a disability, suggests the need to reevaluate the use of classification accuracy as a way to evaluate screening measures without discussion of base rates. Additionally, when cut scores on the screening tools were set to capture 90 percent of all students at risk for reading problems, a high number of false positives were identified. Finally, different cut scores were needed for different subgroups, such as English Language Learners. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [source]

Identifying Early Numeracy Indicators for Kindergarten and First-Grade Students

LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 1 2009
Erica Lembke
Recent studies have documented positive effects for early intervention in improving the mathematics performance of low-achieving children. Consequently, educators need technically sound mathematics screening measures to identify children at risk and then intervene to improve achievement. In this article, we describe preliminary technical adequacy evidence for four early numeracy measures (number identification, quantity discrimination, quantity array, and missing number). We assessed over 300 kindergarten and first-grade students in two states to evaluate the reliability and criterion validity of the four measures. Fall and spring administrations of the measures for one subgroup provided preliminary evidence of students' growth on the measures over time. The results supported three of the four measures as potential tools for screening in the early grades. [source]

Depressive symptoms and SSRI use in pediatric oncology patients

PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER, Issue 7 2007
Leslie S. Kersun M.D., M.S.C.E
Abstract This review of depressive symptoms in pediatric cancer patients describes the challenge of recognizing depression in this group, prevalence, risk factors, and treatment, primarily with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Pediatric oncologists prescribe SSRIs, but there is limited data regarding their use in this setting. Adverse effects, pharmacokinetics and metabolism of SSRIs are reviewed to provide a reference for physicians and inform choices for SSRI prescription. Ongoing research includes incorporation of routine screening measures for depression and future studies might focus on physician recognition and prospectively evaluating treatment for children with cancer and depressive symptoms. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2007;49:881,887. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]