Medical Assistant Protocol Improves Disparities in Depression Screening Rates

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Medicine
• Health Services Research
• Mental Health Screening

Background:

• Depression screening rates in primary care are low, with existing disparities.
• Sociodemographic factors influence the likelihood of depression screening.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a medical assistant-led screening protocol on depression screening rates.
• To assess whether the protocol reduces disparities in screening across sociodemographic groups.

Main Methods:

• A quasi-experimental study comparing a medical assistant protocol to physician-only screening.
• Utilized interrupted time-series models with generalized estimating equations on adult primary care visits.
• Included 45,157 visits from 21,377 unique patients between September 2016 and August 2018.

Main Results:

• Overall depression screening increased from 18% to 57% with the medical assistant protocol (p<0.0001).
• Screening disparities for women and Black/African American patients were mitigated or reversed.
• Age-related disparities in screening were also reduced.

Conclusions:

• A medical assistant protocol can significantly enhance depression screening in primary care.
• This protocol effectively addresses and reduces sociodemographic disparities in mental health screening.