Clinical Screening Tools

Five validated instruments. Built-in scoring. Practice-configured routing.

Intakeful integrates validated clinical screening tools into the intake workflow — not custom forms that look like screening tools. Scoring and routing are decision-support; clinical judgment governs care decisions.

Five validated behavioral health screening instruments displayed as cards including PHQ-9, GAD-7, and Columbia Protocol

Screening Library

Validated instruments — not custom form fields

Each tool below is a published, validated clinical instrument. Intakeful administers the instrument, calculates the score, and routes based on your practice's configured thresholds.

PHQ-9 Depression

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 — the most widely used validated depression screening instrument in outpatient behavioral health. 9 questions, score 0–27.

Score ranges (configurable per your practice):

0–4Minimal — Routine appointment
5–14Mild-Moderate — Watch and follow-up
15+Moderately Severe–Severe — Urgent clinical review

Thresholds shown are illustrative defaults. Your clinical director sets the routing rules.

PHQ-9 scoring and triage routing diagram showing score ranges mapped to clinical urgency levels
GAD-7 Anxiety

Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 — 7 questions, score 0–21. Validated for generalized anxiety disorder in primary care and behavioral health settings. Frequently paired with PHQ-9 for comprehensive depression/anxiety intake screening.

  • Score 0–21, 7 items, ~2 min to complete
  • Practice-configured routing thresholds
  • Runs alongside PHQ-9 in dual-screening protocols
Columbia Suicide Risk

Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale — validated suicide risk assessment used at intake in outpatient behavioral health. High-risk responses trigger immediate front-desk notification and your practice's configured crisis response workflow.

  • Immediate alert for high-risk responses
  • Audit log of screening and routing event
  • Does not replace your practice's crisis protocol
AUDIT-C Alcohol Use

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-C — 3-item validated alcohol use screener. Particularly relevant for practices that handle substance use disorder records subject to 42 CFR Part 2 confidentiality requirements.

For practices with SUD services: intake data from AUDIT-C may be subject to 42 CFR Part 2. See our Privacy & HIPAA page for how Intakeful handles substance use intake records.

PCL-5 PTSD

PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 — 20-item validated PTSD symptom checklist. Available for practices serving trauma-informed populations, veterans services, or dual-diagnosis programs.

  • Score 0–80, DSM-5 aligned
  • Configurable routing thresholds per your protocols

Custom Screener Capability

Add your own questions to the intake flow

Clinical directors can add custom questions to the intake form — practice-specific intake questions, specialty intake items, or supplemental questions alongside standard instruments. Custom questions route to the clinical record; they do not replace validated instruments.

Available on Professional and Group Practice plans.

Clinical Configuration Note

Clinical judgment always governs

Intakeful provides screening scores and triage level indicators as decision-support tools. Your clinical director configures the score thresholds and routing logic. Clinical judgment governs all care decisions. Intakeful does not provide clinical advice and does not set clinical protocols.

See screening tools in context

Walk through a live intake flow with all five screening tools

We'll show you how PHQ-9, GAD-7, and Columbia Protocol look in a patient intake form and how scoring maps to your triage dashboard.