Enhancing Provider Mental Health Screening in Primary Care: A Quality Improvement Project.

Area of Science:

• Primary care and mental health screening
• Quality improvement in healthcare settings
• Nursing implications in mental health diagnosis

Background:

• Depression affects 7.8% and anxiety 19.1% of the US population.
• Approximately 50% of mental health diagnoses occur in primary care settings.
• Effective screening tools are crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the screening and diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression in adult primary care patients.
• To implement and evaluate an evidence-based mental health screening interview technique.
• To improve provider comfort and diagnostic accuracy for mental health conditions.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a structured mental health screening interview incorporating specific techniques (e.g., empathy, motivational interviewing).
• Use of self-report surveys and ICD-10 code data for pre- and post-intervention assessment.
• Evaluation of provider perceptions regarding the new screening technique versus traditional methods.

Main Results:

• A 34% increase in recurrent major depressive disorder diagnoses and a 3% increase in anxiety disorder diagnoses.
• An 18% decrease in single-episode major depressive disorder diagnoses.
• Improved provider perceptions and increased comfort levels with the new screening interview technique.

Conclusions:

• The evidence-based mental health screening interview technique improved provider comfort and was preferred over traditional methods.
• Structured interviews combined with self-report tools show potential for enhancing anxiety and depression diagnosis in primary care.
• Nursing practice can benefit from adopting these structured screening approaches for better patient outcomes.