Using the daily record of severity of problems as a screening instrument for premenstrual syndrome.

Current guidelines for the diagnosis of premenstrual disorders require prospective daily symptom charting for two cycles. This can be quite laborious and is rarely done in clinical practice. A new screening tool has recently been studied which would allow women who are likely to have PMS to be further evaluated.

"A cohort of 697 women kept daily symptom ratings using the Daily Record of Severity of Problems (DRSP). The DRSP includes 21 symptom items grouped within 11 domains. DRSP scores on the first day of menses were calculated using the sum of all 21 items (standard method), the sum of the highest rated items within each domain (alternative method), and the sum of seven items derived from modeling" (Borenstein et al, 2007)."The DRSP administered on the first day of menses is an acceptable screening instrument to identify women who may have PMS" (Borenstein et al, 2007).

"In conclusion, a screening procedure for PMS based on either 21-item or seven-item DRSP symptom ratings on the first day of menses was found to have acceptable test characteristics. These preliminary findings support the use of the DRSP for the identification of women who are most likely to benefit from a more thorough diagnostic evaluation" (Borenstein et al, 2007).

Reference:
Borenstein JE, Dean BB, Yonkers KA, Endicott J. Using the daily record of severity of problems as a screening instrument for premenstrual syndrome. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 May;109(5):1068-75