Welcome to the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index Automated Platform!
This guide provides information on how to create and retrieve patient records, how to access and administer the automated versions of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index and describes the automatically generated test results for each and repeated administrations of the UCLA PTSD measures. Versions of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index available for electronic administration include:
- The UCLA Brief Screen for Child/Adolescent Trauma and PTSD
- The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (Child/Adolescent version)
- The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (Parent/Caregiver version)
- The UCLA PTSD Reaction Index (Parent/Caregiver version for Children 6 and Younger)
Getting Started
On the Landing Page of the Automated Platform, you will be able to Register Your Account and Sign In. You will also find links to download and print the Frequency Rating Scale (used by patients to assist them in making frequency ratings for the PTSD Symptoms section and the Distress and Impairment section), the Desk Reference for Administration and Scoring, and get access to FAQs.
Managing Patients
To enter a new patient in the Automated Platform, type the name of the patient in the space provided and then click on the link to complete a selected measure (Brief Screen for Child/Adolescent Trauma and PTSD, Child/Adolescent Self-Report, Parent/Caregiver Report, Parent/Caregiver Report for Children 6 and Younger) for that patient. Most of the measures (except for the Brief Screen) fully include a Demographic Information section, a Trauma History section, a PTSD Symptoms section, a Distress and Impairment section, and a section for entering Clinical Impressions/Progress Notes. For the first administration of an instrument, administer the selected measure in full. For subsequent administration of some of the versions, you will typically skip the Trauma History section and administer only the sections on PTSD Symptoms, Distress and Impairment, and Clinical Impressions/Progress Notes. You will find the option to Skip or Edit the Trauma History section available at the beginning of each instrument. If a new trauma is revealed or occurs, you can go back to the Trauma History section to edit and enter new information.
Administering Assessments
After each assessment, the Automated Platform will generate and save in that patient’s record printable Test Results. Results include a depiction of Trauma History including each trauma type endorsed, trauma specific details, type of exposure (victim, witnessed, learned about) and age(s) over which the trauma occurred. Results displayed will also include Total PTSD Symptom Score (in a graph with a cutoff score where applicable), frequency scores for each PTSD symptom within symptom categories (Intrusion, Avoidance, Negative Cognition/Mood, and Arousal/Reactivity), and scores obtained within the Distress and Impairment section. Test Results for some instruments (e.g., Child/Adolescent Self-Report) will also include indication of whether diagnostic criteria for PTSD and Dissociative Subtype are met. Clinical notes entered in the Clinical Impressions/Progress notes will always be displayed in the test results.
To conduct a repeated assessment of a patient who has had an initial assessment, type the patient’s name in the space provided. This will bring up a list of all previously assessed patients showing the type of assessment made (instrument), and dates of administration. This will also allow for the retrieval of Test Results for that administration. Then, click to select the desired instrument for the reassessment. For repeated administrations of the PTSD Symptom section, the Distress and Impairment section, and the Clinical Impressions/Progress Notes (where you skip the Trauma History section and complete just these sections), the Automated Platform will generate and save printable test results showing successive scores for Total PTSD Symptom Score (in a graph plotted showing the cutoff score), frequency scores for each PTSD symptom within symptom categories, and scores obtained within the Distress and Impairment section. Information about Trauma History will also be displayed using the information obtained from the initial assessment.
Assessment Results
Test Results from repeated administrations will permit examination of change in these scores over the course of treatment and for documenting clinically significant and meaningful treatment outcome. Clinical notes entered in the Clinical Impressions/Progress Notes section will also be included in the saved and printable Test Results for each repeated administration. For example, you can document that patients substantially migrated from above the clinical cutoff for PTSD to substantially below, and that reduction of PTSD symptoms was associated with improvement in behavior and functioning at home, at school, with peers, and in development.