Implementation of Universal Adolescent Depression Screening: Quality Improvement Outcomes

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Primary Care
• Adolescent Mental Health
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Adolescent depression incidence is rising, yet many teens do not discuss symptoms with providers.
• Evidence-based guidelines recommend universal depression screening for adolescents.
• Current screening and management practices for adolescent depression are often insufficient.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the identification and management of adolescent depression.
• To implement a practice-based, universal depression screening protocol.
• To evaluate the impact of universal screening on depression diagnosis and treatment.

Main Methods:

• The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 modified for Adolescents (PHQ-A) was used for screening.
• Screening was integrated into annual wellness visits for adolescents aged 12-18.
• Retrospective chart reviews compared pre- and post-implementation data.

Main Results:

• Documented depression screening rates increased from 0% to 74.5%.
• Clinically and statistically significant increases were observed in diagnosed depression (12.1%), mental health referrals (8%), and pharmaceutical treatment (4.9%).

Conclusions:

• Universal depression screening in pediatric primary care is effective for early diagnosis.
• Implementing evidence-based screening improves adolescent depression management.
• This quality improvement project demonstrates a successful model for pediatric mental health care.