The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5) is a brief, 5-item screening tool designed to identify individuals who may have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is primarily used in primary care settings to quickly assess whether a person has experienced trauma and whether that trauma has affected them in the past month. The measure begins with an initial question asking about lifetime exposure to traumatic events. If an individual responds affirmatively to having experienced a traumatic event, the proceeding five items assess for the presence of common PTSD symptoms (e.g., "In the past month, have you had nightmares about the event(s) or thought about the event(s) when you did not want to?"). The possible responses are "yes" or "no," with each "yes" contributing to the final score. Clinically significant results indicate a need for further assessment for a PTSD diagnosis and treatment.

Self-report

5 + initial screening for a history of a traumatic event

18+

The PC-PTSD-5 was developed to be given one time at intake or when Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is first suspected.

Scoring the PC-PTSD-5 involves summing the number of "yes" responses to the final five questions, not including the initial question screening for a history of trauma. The total score can range between 0 and 5. A higher score indicates a greater likelihood of PTSD, with a score of 4 or more suggesting probable PTSD that warrants further evaluation. However, research in VA primary care settings found that for women a lower cut-point might be more appropriate. Due to these variations, clinicians should consider the specific characteristics of their patient population and the purpose of the screening when selecting a cut-point. Those who score above the chosen threshold should undergo a more comprehensive assessment, either through a structured clinical interview such as the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), which is available on Blueprint.

The PC-PTSD-5 includes an initial screening question which asks about the history of a traumatic event in the respondent’s life. This question is not counted as one of the five items on the original assessment. Due to formatting limitations, Blueprint is unable to include questions without a number and counts this initial question as an item on the assessment. Thus, it appears that the assessment on Blueprint has 6-items when, in fact, it has the same amount.

Additionally, in the paper/pen version of the tool, respondents are instructed to stop taking the measure if they answer “no” on the initial question regarding if they have experienced a traumatic event. Blueprint has included a “not applicable” response to account for the fact that respondents are unable to skip questions when taking an assessment on the platform. These responses do not change the overall scoring or interpretation of the measure although clinicians should confirm that item 1 was answered affirmatively if a clinically significant result in the final five questions was achieved.

Prins, A., Bovin, M. J., Smolenski, D. J., Marx, B. P., Kimerling, R., Jenkins-Guarnieri, M. A., Kaloupek, D. G., Schnurr, P. P., Kaiser, A. P., Leyva, Y. E., & Tiet, Q. Q. (2016). The Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5 (PC-PTSD-5): Development and Evaluation Within a Veteran Primary Care Sample. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 31(10), 1206–1211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-016-3703-5

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