Date Approved

5-1-2023

Graduate Degree Type

Project

Degree Name

Nursing (D.N.P.)

Degree Program

College of Nursing

First Advisor

Christina Quick

Second Advisor

Allison Reynolds

Academic Year

2022/2023

Abstract

Background: Within the state, approximately 119,000 adolescents aged 12-17 have depression, and it is estimated that 57.8% do not receive any mental health care (National Alliance on Mental Illness [NAMI], 2021).

Objectives: The purpose of this program evaluation is to evaluate the management of adolescent depression. This evaluation focused on adolescent depression screening rates, medication prescribing and adherence, counseling referrals and initiation, barriers to treatment, follow-up visits, and parent feedback about the care received.

Methods: All adolescents who did not have previously diagnosed depression or developmental delay were included in this program evaluation., A weekly manual chart review was used to collect each adolescent’s age, gender, and PHQ-9 score. The parents of each adolescent with PHQ-9 score of 10 or higher were called for a follow-up to evaluate their experience.

Results: Only 64.4% of adolescent age 12-18 were screened for depression during their wellchild visit. Of the 45 adolescents screened, three had a PHQ-9 score of 10 or above. Only one patient parent answered the follow-up call.

Conclusions: To be adherent with clinical practice guidelines, adolescent depression screening rates must be improved. Generalizability of project findings is limited by the participation of only one provider, a small sample size, and a short implementation timeline.

Implications: Providers should continue to be educated on current guidelines. Future projects should focus on implementation of routine adolescent PHQ-9 screenings among all providers at the office. Future projects can also be used to medications, counseling, and follow-up care.

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