Resources: Depression Screening
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VNAA Best Practice:
All patients over the age of 18 will be assessed for depression as part of the admission process.
Why Depression Screening?
It is estimated that depression is a diagnosis that affects between 14 to 46 percent of the homebound elderly (Bruce, 2002).
Depression is a prevalent co-morbidity with heart disease, cancer and diabetes (Gellis, Z. D., & Kang-Yi, C. 2012).
Depression is a factor in increased medical and functional disabilities and increased risk of falls and hospitalization (Byers et al., 2008; Sheeran, Byers, & Bruce, 2010).
Depression is often under recognized and if recognized, under treated (Bruce 2002).
Estimates of the direct and indirect medical costs of patients with depression were approximately 83.1 billion in the year 2000 (USPSTF, 2009).
Helpful Hints and Other Tools
Managing depression is similar to managing other chronic conditions (Bruce, July/August 2011).
The role of the home care nurse should include (1) symptom assessment; (2) case coordination; (3) medication management, (4) education of patients and families, and (5) patient goal setting (Bruce, July/August 2011).
Build tools in EMR if possible.
Call the primary care physician with specific results of screening tools.
Dementia symptoms can be impacted by depression and the improvement of dementia symptoms can be helped by treating depression.
Depression Screening References