HCR-20 — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

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EasyForensic PsychiatryHCR-20MRCPsych Paper B

Which instrument is a structured professional judgement tool for assessing and managing violence risk in adults and comprises 20 items across Historical, Clinical and Risk Management domains?

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Correct answer: A — HCR-20 V3

The correct answer is HCR-20 V3. It is a structured professional judgement instrument used to formulate and manage violence risk in adults. Its 20 items comprise 10 Historical, 5 Clinical and 5 Risk Management factors; the latter two domains include dynamic considerations relevant to current presentation and future management. The PCL-R also has 20 items but assesses psychopathic traits rather than providing a comprehensive violence-risk formulation. Static-99 is an actuarial sexual-recidivism instrument. SAPROF focuses on protective factors and is generally complementary to violence-risk instruments such as HCR-20. SAVRY is a structured violence-risk assessment designed for adolescents rather than adults.

Reference: Royal College of Psychiatrists. Outcome measures in psychiatry, CR240, Forensic psychiatry: Risk and offending section. June 2024. https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/docs/default-source/improving-care/better-mh-policy/college-reports/college-report-cr240-outcome-measures-in-psychiatry.pdf?sfvrsn=3d5adc4e_11