The screening procedure may require more than one interview. It may need to be conducted in the home when parents or other relevant family member are unable to persuade the individual to come to the clinic. When appropriate and necessary, the clinician may go to the high school/college to talk with a student. The majority of interviews are conducted in the clinic over one to two sessions. The screening inventories include:
- a set of screening questions regarding general psychiatric symptoms, (available from PEPP)
- Personal Experiences and Preference Questionnaire
- Zung Anxiety Inventory
- Zung Depression Inventory
- the Formal Criteria for “At Risk for Psychosis”
Most of the inventories are self-report questionnaires. The clinician should provide a quiet place for the client to complete the inventories. H/she should establish the client’s level of literacy and ensure the client understands the directions. These instruments are used to collect important information regarding patient’s internal experience.
- Need for screening to be confirmed on the telephone. There should be reason to believe that the presenting problems may be indicative of psychosis.
- Some basic demographic identification of the prospective patient, source of referral and reason for referral is to be recorded even if the referral is not accepted for screening.
- Patient, if accepted for screening, should be assessed within two working days if no immediate risk to patient or others is conveyed by the referral source. If there is presumed risk of harm to patient or others, a referral to Emergency Department is advised.
- Screening assessment should consist of an interview with a clinician:
- for all outpatients - the designated assessment clinician (nurse case manager)
- for inpatients - program psychiatrist/resident or nurse case manager from PEPP
- If an outpatient refuses to come for the screening assessment to the clinic, offer home assessment or assessment in any other setting of client’s choice.
- A screening protocol is to be completed. If patient obviously suffers from psychosis, some parts of this protocol may not be possible to be completed at this stage, and should be completed later on (within one month, preferably). Reasons for not completing screening should be documented.
- Each case is to be discussed with a program psychiatrist.
- A standard intake sheet to be completed on all patients. All information for screening should be passed to Program Research Assistant managing the data base.
