John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
John Taylor, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and developer of the "Taylor Rule" for setting interest rates | Stanford University
An injury or sudden illness that requires hospitalization can be a stressful experience. While many recover from this stress, some face lasting mental health issues. Until now, predicting who might continue to struggle has been challenging for hospital clinicians.
Researchers at Stanford Medicine have developed a 10-question screening tool aimed at assessing the risk of mental health problems in patients hospitalized after emergency care. This screening can identify 79% of those who may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or anxiety within two months. The findings provide an opportunity for early intervention and preventive resources.
David Spain, MD, professor of general surgery and senior author of the study published in PLOS ONE on October 1st, stated, “If you’re admitted to the hospital after a car accident, you’re going to show stress symptoms.” He noted that while many improve over time with social support, others do not.
Spain explained that trauma patients are typically screened for pre-existing mental health conditions but not for future risks. Stress from severe illnesses requiring emergency care and the hospital environment can contribute to long-term psychological effects.
Eve Carlson, PhD, clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral science and lead author of the study said: "Providing preventive mental health care soon after exposure to traumatic stress can prevent or reduce later mental health problems." The research included over 1,000 adult patients and refined more than 100 questions from existing tools down to ten critical ones. These questions assess past, present, and future emotions related to respect felt by patients; history of anxiety and depression; feelings of isolation; stress since hospitalization; and expected future stress levels.
The tool was validated across diverse patient groups from three hospitals in California, Ohio, and Washington DC. At a two-month follow-up using standard measures for depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms were assessed with the screening correctly predicting 79% sensitivity for diagnosed cases while maintaining 72% specificity where no diagnosis occurred.
Spain emphasized prioritizing sensitivity over specificity when determining cut-off scores between low-risk versus high-risk classifications so all high-risk individuals could be captured even if some low-risk ones got included too.
Carlson highlighted challenges faced by hospitals lacking capacity providing professional preventive mental healthcare stating: “Very few hospitals in the U.S. have the capacity...” Research continues exploring self-help programs guiding toward professional aid if necessary alongside family coaching initiatives supporting patient recovery betterment post-discharge scenarios as potential solutions instead addressing resource constraints encountered within current systems available nationwide today...
This research was conducted with contributions from Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System Summa Health Howard University College Of Medicine receiving funding support National Institute Minority Health Disparities
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