Which screening tool is commonly used for GAD in primary care?

Which screening tool is commonly used for GAD in primary care?

• A. PHQ-9
• B. HADS-A
• C. MMPI
• D. GAD-7

Answer: (D)

Screening in primary care benefits from a brief, validated tool that directly targets the symptoms of GAD and is quick to complete. The GAD-7 is a seven-item self-report scale designed specifically to screen for generalized anxiety disorder and to monitor symptom change in primary care. It asks how often the patient has been bothered by worry and related symptoms over the past two weeks, and its scoring helps identify possible GAD and its severity in a concise format. Its strong psychometric properties—good sensitivity and specificity—and its practicality make it a preferred choice in busy clinics. The other options either focus on depression (PHQ-9), general hospital-based anxiety without specificity to GAD (HADS-A), or are broad personality tests not suited for rapid primary care screening (MMPI).

Screening in primary care benefits from a brief, validated tool that directly targets the symptoms of GAD and is quick to complete. The GAD-7 is a seven-item self-report scale designed specifically to screen for generalized anxiety disorder and to monitor symptom change in primary care. It asks how often the patient has been bothered by worry and related symptoms over the past two weeks, and its scoring helps identify possible GAD and its severity in a concise format. Its strong psychometric properties—good sensitivity and specificity—and its practicality make it a preferred choice in busy clinics. The other options either focus on depression (PHQ-9), general hospital-based anxiety without specificity to GAD (HADS-A), or are broad personality tests not suited for rapid primary care screening (MMPI).