UBM Medica announced that Psychiatric Times has released its multiplatform clinical scales application for psychiatrists, physicians, psychologists, allied mental health professionals, and healthcare professionals.

These interactive clinical scales are available via the Psychiatric Times website, mobile web, as well as Apple and Android mobile devices; instructions are included on how to administer and score each of the psychiatric tests. “These scales have demonstrated high levels of accuracy and validity, and the results can give important clues to possible mental disorders that warrant follow up,” says Jay Pomerantz, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Boston.  The Psychiatric Times Clinical Scales application was developed because of the continuing popularity of the assessment and diagnostic tools on www.psychiatrictimes.com.

The collection of scales currently includes the following:

Depression and Anxiety

• Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)
• Brief Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-Brief)
• Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-SADS)
• Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale
• Major Depression Inventory (MDI)
• Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A)
• Geriatric Depression Scale

Bipolar Disorder

• The Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS)

Autism

• The Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT)

ADHD

• VADPRS (Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Parent Rating Scale) and VADTRS (Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Teacher Rating Scale)
• Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale

General Scales

• AIMS (Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale)
• Mini-Mental Status Examination
• Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI)
• Global Assessment of Function (GAF)

Psychiatric Times provides psychiatrists, psychologists, and allied mental health professionals with peer-reviewed clinical articles as well as commentaries, columns, Category 1 CME content, and cutting-edge news reports. “The clinical scales on our site are widely used.  The new multi-platform app ensures total access and ease of use for these important tools. Our goal is to improve quality of care and quality of life for clinicians, and this app will make practice both easier and more efficient,” says Sally Shankland, CEO of UBM Medica US.

“A large number of psychiatric tests, scales, and forms have been created over the years to help in diagnosing mental illness and assisting in treatment and follow-up,” says Dr Pomerantz. “This service offers the most popular and useful instruments. The hope is that healthcare professionals—whether in specialty practices, primary-care settings, or emergency services—will find this format convenient and useful, allowing them to find the right instrument quickly for immediate use with patients, and add the findings to their records. Since most of the tools are designed for repeated use over time, they will provide not only a longitudinal view but also document the medical record.”

The app can be accessed via the web or mobile web devices at www.psychiatrictimes.com/clinical-scales, via the iTunes store at or the Android Marketplace.

Source: UBM Medica