Feasibility and Validity of Screening for Early Psychosis in a Primary Care Setting

Poster A53, Monday, October%208, 11:30%20am%20-%201:00%20pm, Essex%20Ballroom

Mark Savill1, Tara Niendam2, Adi Rosenthal2, Sarah Gobrial2, Monet Mayer2, Susanna Farina3, Jonathan Porteus3, Tyler Lesh2, J. Daniel Ragland2, Cameron Carter2, Loewy Rachel2; 1University of California, San Francisco, 2University of California, Davis, 3Wellspace Health

Reducing the duration of untreated psychosis is critical in early psychosis care, given its significant impact on outcomes. The primary care physician is among the most frequently reported first healthcare contact on the pathway to treatment for psychosis, but direct referrals from primary care to specialty psychosis care are uncommon. In this ongoing study, the feasibility and validity of screening for psychosis using the Prodromal Questionnaire – Brief questionnaire will be evaluated. Across five primary care clinics, clients aged 18-30 referred to integrated behavioral health services are invited to complete the screening questionnaire on an electronic tablet, followed by a comprehensive assessment of their psychosis symptoms using the Structured Interview for Psychosis Risk Syndromes. To date, sites have been trained in screening and referral procedures and have conducted screening for a median period of 9 weeks (range 8 – 18 weeks), during which 39 screens have been conducted. Fifteen participants scored above the PQ-B cutoff score of 20, of which 11 have completed follow-up clinical assessments. Of these, six (54.5%) participants have been identified as meeting the criteria for either first-episode psychosis or the clinical high-risk syndrome. If effective, screening for psychosis in primary care with a direct referral pathway for positive screens may represent an important step forward in significantly reducing the duration of untreated psychosis caused by delays in receiving appropriate care once in contact with health services.

Topic Area: First Episode Psychosis

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