title: Depression screening in a VA primary care clinic.
abstract: In 1998 the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) mandated annual depression screening at all VA primary care clinics. The VA Medical Center, New Orleans, implemented a four-item screening tool. The authors report on an evaluation of the screening program. Of 1,100 patients visiting the clinic during a one-month period, 1,068 (97 percent) were screened at that visit or at some point in the previous 12 months. Of the 70 patients who screened positive for depression, 50 (71 percent) were offered at least one treatment modality or psychiatric referral. The findings establish benchmarks for screening administration and for follow-through on positive screens. The authors describe features of the electronic medical record that contributed to the successful implementation of this best practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Psychiatry, Montgomery General Hospital, Olney, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Kirkcaldy
authors.forename: L Lee
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Tynes
mesh_terms: D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D019985:Benchmarking; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008145:Louisiana; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs