A brief screening instrument to detect posttraumatic stress disorder in outpatient gynecology.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious anxiety disorder triggered by the experience of trauma. One in 4 individuals exposed to trauma will develop PTSD. Victims of trauma are frequent users of health care, but screening is rarely done and most sequelae remain undetected. Our objectives were 1) to document the prevalence of a trauma history among women seeking routine gynecologic care and 2) to evaluate a 4-item screening instrument for PTSD for triaging women with a trauma history for further evaluation.