Depression screening using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 administered on a touch screen computer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Psychiatry
• Digital Health

Background:

• Depression is prevalent in cancer patients, impacting treatment outcomes.
• Accurate and timely depression screening is crucial for effective cancer care.
• Digital tools offer potential for efficient patient assessment in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) on a touch screen for depression screening in cancer patients.
• To evaluate the construct validity of the touch screen PHQ-9 in this population.
• To determine the prevalence and severity of depression identified via this digital screening method.

Main Methods:

• The PHQ-9 was integrated into a web-based survey on touch screen computers in oncology clinics.
• Patients completed the screening prior to (T1) and during (T2) therapy.
• Depression screening triggered the full PHQ-9 if initial symptoms (PHQ-2) were endorsed; results were provided to clinicians in real time.

Main Results:

• High feasibility was observed, with over 96% completion rates for the PHQ-2 and PHQ-9, and a mean completion time of approximately 2 minutes.
• The touch screen PHQ-9 demonstrated good construct validity.
• Prevalence of moderate to severe depression was 6.1% at T1 and 15.8% at T2, with variations across different cancer patient groups.

Conclusions:

• Administering the PHQ-9 via touch screen is a feasible and valid method for depression screening in diverse cancer patient populations.
• This digital approach provides timely and actionable depression data to oncology teams.
• Touch screen screening facilitates the identification and management of depression in cancer care.