[Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in primary care using the PRIME-MD questionnaire]

To quantify the frequency of psychiatric disorders detected by primary care doctors, using the PRIME-MD questionnaire, and by psychiatrists using a structured clinical interview.

An observational, descriptive, crossover study, using a questionnaire. One of each two patients was selected until reaching the total number of patients.

The study was conducted in five primary care centres in Madrid.

To be included in the study, patients had to consent verbally, be able to understand the questions asked and have been previously diagnosed as psychotic or demented. 395 patients were recruited, of which 312 completed the study.

The primary care doctor administered the PRIME-MD questionnaire to each patient, and then a psychiatrist conducted the SCAN interview.

The time spent by the doctor on the PRIME-MD questionnaire was usually 10 minutes. The doctor had previously detected psychiatric pathology in 18.5% of his/her patients; with the PRIME-MD questionnaire he/she detected it in 53.5%. The psychiatrist with the SCAN detected psychiatric pathology in 41.3% of patients.

The high frequency of psychiatric disorders in primary care patients and primary care doctors' lack of ability in detecting these disorders was confirmed by this study. The PRIME-MD questionnaire, an instrument for rapid detection of the most commonly found psychiatric disorders within primary care, may considerably improve this situation.