A consensus panel of nine experts developed the Impact-TD scale to assess how tardive dyskinesia (TD) affects daily functioning. This scale addresses the lack of a standardized, clinician-rated tool for evaluating TD’s impact on patients’ lives. The panel used a modified Delphi process to agree on the scale’s format and content, focusing on simplicity, usability, and capturing specific consequences of TD symptoms across four functional domains: social, psychological/psychiatric, physical, and vocational/educational/recreational.

The Impact-TD scale was designed to help clinicians evaluate the functional impact of TD and guide treatment decisions. It emphasizes understanding the broad and variable impact of TD symptoms on patients’ daily lives. The scale includes a 4-point Likert scale to rate the severity of impact in each domain and encourages input from multiple sources, including patients, families, and caregivers. This tool aims to improve the clinical management of TD by providing a comprehensive assessment of its functional effects, raising awareness, and facilitating better communication between patients and healthcare providers.

Reference: Jackson R, Brams MN, Carlozzi NE, et al. Impact-Tardive Dyskinesia (Impact-TD) Scale: A Clinical Tool to Assess the Impact of Tardive Dyskinesia. J Clin Psychiatry. 2022;84(1):22cs14563. doi: 10.4088/JCP.22cs14563.