A Structured Approach to Detecting and Treating Depression in Primary Care: VitalSign6 Project

Overview

Journal Ann Fam Med

Specialty Public Health

Date 2019 Jul 10

PMID 31285210

Citations 15

Authors

Manish K Jha

Bruce D Grannemann

Joseph M Trombello

E Will Clark

Sara Levinson Eidelman

Tiffany Lawson

Tracy L Greer

A John Rush

Madhukar H Trivedi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Purpose: This report describes outcomes of an ongoing quality-improvement project (VitalSign6) in a large US metropolitan area to improve recognition, treatment, and outcomes of depressed patients in 16 primary care clinics (6 charity clinics, 6 federally qualified health care centers, 2 private clinics serving low-income populations, and 2 private clinics serving patients with either Medicare or private insurance).

Methods: Inclusion in this retrospective analysis was restricted to the first 25,000 patients (aged ≥12 years) screened with the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2) in the aforementioned quality-improvement project. Further evaluations with self-reports and clinician assessments were recorded for those with positive screen (PHQ-2 >2). Data collected from August 2014 though November 2016 were available at 3 levels: (1) initial PHQ-2 (n = 25,000), (2) positive screen (n = 4,325), and (3) clinician-diagnosed depressive disorder with 18 or more weeks of enrollment (n = 2,160).

Results: Overall, 17.3% (4,325/25,000) of patients screened positive for depression. Of positive screens, 56.1% (2,426/4,325) had clinician-diagnosed depressive disorder. Of those enrolled for 18 or more weeks, 64.8% were started on measurement-based pharmacotherapy and 8.9% referred externally. Of the 1,400 patients started on pharmacotherapy, 45.5%, 30.2%, 12.6%, and 11.6% had 0, 1, 2, and 3 or more follow-up visits, respectively. Remission rates were 20.3% (86/423), 31.6% (56/177), and 41.7% (68/163) for those with 1, 2, and 3 or more follow-up visits, respectively. Baseline characteristics associated with higher attrition were: non-white, positive drug-abuse screen, lower depression/anxiety symptom severity, and younger age.

Conclusion: Although remission rates are high in those with 3 or more follow-up visits after routine screening and treatment of depression, attrition from care is a significant issue adversely affecting outcomes.

Citing Articles

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Measurement-Based Care for Depression in Youth: Practical Considerations for Selecting Measures to Assess Depression, Associated Features and Functioning.

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McDaniel B, Cornet V, Carroll J, Chrones L, Chudzik J, Cochran J BMC Psychiatry. 2023; 23(1):938.

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Increasing Identification and Follow-Up of Older Adult Depression in Primary Care.

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