Scored assessments for patient intake
Intake Pro scored assessments support item weights, reverse-scored items, subscales and labelled score bands. The total stays with the patient's signed response.
A practice builds each screening scale from the scale owner's wording and confirms its licence. Intake Pro does not alert staff, interpret a score or provide clinical decision support.
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- Scoring setup Weights and subscales
- Answer handling Reverse scoring
- Result labels Configured score bands
- Retained result Total with signed form
How does scoring work in Intake Pro?
Intake Pro scoring applies the item weights and rules configured in a patient form. A practice can assign points to answers, reverse selected items, calculate subscales and label score bands for the chosen scale.
A matrix field presents questions that share answer choices, which suits many screening forms. Conditional questions can show or hide follow-ups based on earlier answers when the owner's form structure calls for them.
The practice builds the scale from the owner's current wording and confirms permission for its planned use. See the broader Intake Pro features overview and the intake forms guide for their place in intake.
A score is a screening result and not a diagnosis. The practice's clinical lead decides which cut point the practice uses and what staff do with a result.
Which screening scales can a practice build for intake?
A practice can use Intake Pro's scoring tools to build scales whose owner wording and licence permit its use. These six scales have detailed pages on this site; their ranges and screening purposes come from the owners' materials.
| Scale | Score or item range | What it screens for |
|---|---|---|
| PHQ-9 | Total 0 to 27 | Depression, using nine items about the last two weeks |
| GAD-7 | Total 0 to 21 | Anxiety, using seven items about the last two weeks |
| AUDIT-C | Total 0 to 12 | Alcohol use through three consumption questions |
| Epworth Sleepiness Scale | Total 0 to 24 | Daytime sleepiness through usual chance of dozing in everyday situations |
| M-CHAT-R | Total 0 to 20 | Autism likelihood in toddlers 16 to 30 months through parent report |
| Vanderbilt Assessment Scales | Symptoms 0 to 3; performance 1 to 5 | ADHD and related concerns in children 6 to 12, with parent and teacher forms |
Where should staff get scale wording and licence terms?
Staff should get screening item wording from each scale's owner or designated publisher and confirm the licence themselves before building it online. The owner's current terms determine what the practice may reproduce or change.
- PHQ-9: Use the PHQ instruction manual and screeners site. The site says no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute the PHQ screeners.
- GAD-7: Use the same instruction manual and screeners site. Its statement also covers GAD-7 and translations: no permission is required to reproduce, translate, display or distribute them.
- AUDIT-C: Review the VA's AUDIT-C page and AUDIT FAQ. AUDIT is a public-domain WHO publication, and the AUDIT site asks that it not be materially changed.
- Epworth: Read the owner's scale page. The scale is copyrighted, a licence is required whether or not a fee applies, electronic versions require an arrangement with the owner, and the wording cannot be changed.
- M-CHAT-R: Read the owner's scoring and permissions page. Ask the authors whether the planned Intake Pro use needs a licence before building the form.
- Vanderbilt: Get the NICHQ scales and scoring instructions. Check NICHQ's terms for the first edition and the AAP's terms for the third edition before putting either online.
How do you configure a scored intake form?
Configure a scored Intake Pro form by following the owner's wording and scoring instructions, then having the practice's clinical lead review the setup. Test the arithmetic and signed record before patient use.
The practice manager confirms wording and permission. Staff place choice or matrix fields, set response weights and reverse the items identified by the owner. They then configure required subscales and the clinical lead's approved score bands.
Complete test responses before publication and check the resulting totals.
What does Intake Pro do with a screening result?
Intake Pro keeps the calculated total with the signed response. It does not alert staff, interpret a score or provide clinical decision support, so the practice's own clinical workflow governs review and follow-up.
For PHQ-9, item 9 covers thoughts of self-harm, and its manual says a positive answer needs a clinical interview. Before sending PHQ-9 ahead of visits, the practice needs its own written procedure for who reviews item 9 and how soon, set by its clinical lead. A form filled in at home is not read the moment it is submitted.
The practice can place a scored form inside a patient packet, but the packet does not change those clinical responsibilities. Staff can retrieve the total and document through signed records and exports, then use the practice's chart-transfer process.
Sources
- PHQ-9 and GAD-7 instruction manual
- PHQ and GAD-7 screeners site
- US Department of Veterans Affairs AUDIT-C guidance
- AUDIT FAQ and public-domain terms
- Epworth Sleepiness Scale owner information
- M-CHAT-R owner scoring instructions
- M-CHAT-R owner permissions
- NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scales
- Vanderbilt first-edition scoring instructions
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Questions
Does Intake Pro interpret a patient's screening score?
No. Intake Pro keeps the calculated total with the signed response but does not interpret scores or provide clinical decision support. The practice's clinical lead determines which cut points to use and what staff do with a result.
How does a practice add the PHQ-9 or GAD-7 to an Intake Pro form?
The practice builds the PHQ-9 or GAD-7 in the form builder from the owner's current wording, sets the answer weights and score bands, and confirms the licence for its planned use before publishing. The total is kept with the signed response.
Can Intake Pro reverse-score selected screening items?
Yes. Intake Pro supports reverse-scored items alongside item weights, subscales and labelled score bands. Staff configure those rules from the scale owner's instructions and have the practice's clinical lead review the setup.
Where does an Intake Pro assessment total appear after submission?
The total stays with the patient's signed response. The submission also keeps its form version, signer details, signing time, signed PDF and audit trail. Intake Pro does not send staff alerts about the result.