Use of the General Health Questionnaire as a screening tool for geriatric patients in Calabar, Nigeria

Old age is inevitably associated with general biological and physical decline.Mental health issues are among the most prevalent health problems of the elderly and constitute an important source of distress for patients and caregivers. Primary care providers frequently fail to diagnose these problems, and, even when they do, management may not be optimal. This study aimed to determine the proportion of geriatric mental health morbidity detected by Family Physicians and compare this with General Health Questionnaire detection in the recognition ofmorbidity in this cohort.

This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey involving 107 elderly respondents, conveniently recruited for the study from the Family Medicine Geriatric Clinic of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar. Respondents were grouped into 'cases' and 'non-cases' using a cut-offscore of'3' with the General Health Questionnaire as the main comparative detection instrument. Family Physicians' abilities to identify mental health morbidity were then compared with the General Health Questionnaire ratings. Socio-demographic correlates and identification rates were determined by statistical tests of associations.

The General Health Questionnaire identified 48.6% 'cases' while the Family Physicians identified 9.4% among the attendees. Statistically significant differences in socio-demographic characteristics of respondents were found for marital status (chi2 = 21.84; p< 0.009), level of education (chi2 = 42.58; p<0.005) and sex chi2 = (6.98; p<0.008).

This study concludes that using the General Health Questionnaire and paying attention to geriatrics' socio-demographic parameters can improve the detection of mental health morbidities in the elderlyby Family Physicians.