title: Assessment of psychiatric symptoms at a level I trauma center surgery follow-up clinic: a preliminary report.
abstract: At Level I trauma centers, psychiatric consultation is readily available to inpatient surgical services. This study sought to characterize the psychiatric symptoms present in the surgical follow-up clinic. Patients aged 18 years and older were assessed over one month for symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with the Short PTSD Rating Interview (SPRINT), depression with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), alcohol abuse with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), and the presence of violence using the MacArthur Community Violence Instrument (MCVIa [victimization] MCVIb [perpetration]). Twenty-five individuals participated. Using the SPRINT, 13 (52.0%) met the cutoff for PTSD. For PHQ-9 depression, 11 (44%) were in the moderate to severe range. For AUDIT, five (20.0%) likely had an alcohol problem. Using the MCVI, 15 (60.0%) reported victimization and 12 (48.0%) reported perpetration. Elevated levels of psychiatric symptoms were found in the trauma surgery follow-up clinic. Psychiatric care embedded in this setting may be warranted.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. econra@lsuhsc.edu
authors: Erich J
authors: EJ
authors: Conrad
authors: Tonya C
authors: TC
authors: Hansel
authors: Nicholas G
authors: NG
authors: Pejic
authors: Joseph
authors: J
authors: Constans
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D019548:Crime Victims; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014754:Violence; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery; D055815:Young Adult