Feasibility of a screening program for at-risk children following accidental injury

Feasibility of a screening program for at-risk children following accidental injury

Screening is recommended as a simple method for identifying those who should be monitored for risk following trauma. Effective methods for implementing large-scale screening programs are yet to be established. This study tested the feasibility and utility of a screening program with hospitalized youth exposed to injury in 3 Australian hospitals. A total of 1,134 eligible families were contacted and 546 children (48.0%) screened for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk at 1-2 weeks postinjury. There were 95 (17.4%) children whose screen result was at-risk. A re-screening phase was introduced during the study, with 68 children completing the re-screen at 4-6 weeks postinjury, and 26 (38.2% of those re-screened) still at-risk. Of those initially screened, 29 (5.3%) completed diagnostic assessments, 21 (3.8%) were diagnosed with partial or full PTSD, and 17 (3.1%) commenced treatment. Screening was successful at identifying and reaching children with PTSD, but the response rate was lower than expected, which limited the utility of the program. The addition of a re-screening phase demonstrated that not all at-risk children required intervention. These findings replicate previous studies that have shown natural remission in PTSD symptoms and highlight the potential for re-screening as part of a watchful waiting approach.

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