Catatonia
Session: Poster Session
Patrick Ying, MD, DFAPA
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, New York, United States
Rachel Caravella, MD (she/her/hers)
Director, CL Psychiatry Service, NYU Manhattan Campuses
NYU Langone Health
New York, New York, United States
Abby Mulkeen, MD
Clinical Instructor, Department of Psychiatry at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
NYU Langone
New York, New York, United States
Andrew Francis, PhD, MD
Professor
Penn State Medical School
Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States
Mark Oldham, MD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
University of Rochester Medical Center
Rochester, New York, United States
-Background/Significance Catatonia is an underdiagnosed condition, in part due to significant inaccuracies in clinicians’ recognition of its features (1). An online curriculum improved identification of catatonia’s features across all ages and training levels with good overall knowledge retention (2). This current project aims to extend the utility and accessibility of these online curricula by creating an online digital scoring assistant for the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale (BFCRS) (3) optimized for mobile devices. This new online tool will provide ready access to these resources at the point of care for clinicians of all training levels. -Methods Using an online interactive calculator platform, we created an assessment tool optimized for mobile devices that sequences BFCRS items around a structured clinical assessment. The clinician can select one of two modes: the 14-item screening instrument or the 23-item full scale instrument. The tool provides instructions for observing, examining, or eliciting catatonic findings, and allows the user to record the score for each item in the rating scale. The tool also contains links for a detailed explanation of each item from the BFCRS Training Manual and Coding Guide, including common examples of each feature as well as ways to differentiate and distinguish the specific features. The tool also includes embedded videos of standardized patient assessment and item scoring for each feature of catatonia that the user can launch when desired. Finally, the tool adds individual item scores and displays the results of the screening instrument or total score for the full scale BFCRS. Users have the option to receive the results via email. - The prototype has been developed, and testing using the simulated patient videos from the University of Rochester catatonia training website is in progress. Preliminary data will be presented on accuracy and reliability -Discussion/Conclusion/Implications Catatonia remains a challenging diagnosis for both trainees and experienced clinicians. The development of an online assessment tool for the BFCRS optimized for mobile devices enhances clinical utility and accessibility to this validated using a standardized catatonia assessment. -References 1. Wortzel JR, Maeng DD, Francis A, Oldham MA. Prevalent gaps in understanding the features of catatonia among psychiatrists, psychiatry trainees, and medical students. J Clin Psychiatry. 2021. 2. Wortzel JR, Maeng DD, Francis A, Oldham MA. Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Educational Module for the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale. Acad Psychiatry. 2022. 3. Bush G, Fink M, Petrides G, Dowling F, Francis A. Catatonia. I. Rating scale and standardized examination. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 1996.
Results:
