An efficient screening tool for preoperative depression: the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form.
BACKGROUND
Depression is highly prevalent in patients before surgery, and it has been widely shown to have a serious impact on their postoperative outcomes. It would therefore be desirable for physicians to obtain a quick, simple screen to evaluate depression to consider treatment of symptomatology and potentially optimize postoperative outcomes.


METHODS
In this study, we investigated the prevalence of depression in a presurgical inpatient sample undergoing major, noncardiac surgery. In addition, we sought to establish the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (GDS-SF) as a valid screening tool for depression by examining its relationship to the Beck Depression inventory (BDI) by age and gender.


RESULTS
In our sample of 1043 presurgical candidates, prevalence of depression as established by the BDI was significantly higher than rates consistently found in healthy community samples. Depression was more common in women than in men (P = 0.02), and depression rates were lower in elders relative to middle-aged and younger groups (P = 0.003 and 0.003, respectively). In addition, we found that there was a high correlation between the BDI and the GDS-SF within each of the age groups.


CONCLUSIONS
These data further support the need for depression screens in presurgical populations and establish the validity of the GDS-SF as a valid quick assessment alternative available to physicians.
Bass
Diana S
DS
Division of Neurology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
Attix
Deborah K
DK
Phillips-Bute
Barbara
B
Monk
Terri G
TG
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011300:Preoperative Care / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires