Date of Award
4-2019
Degree Name
Nursing (D.N.P.)
Department
College of Nursing
First Advisor
Dianne Slager
Second Advisor
Darleen Hoffert
Third Advisor
Jamie Lamers
Abstract
Depression is a leading cause of disability in adults and is a major contributor to burden of disease (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). The United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) provides evidence-based recommendations to promote disease prevention. Among these, is the recommendation that all adults, regardless of risk factors, should be screened for depression in the primary care setting with adequate systems in place to allow for appropriate diagnosis and management (USPSTF, 2016). The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) student project was to develop and implement an evidence-based protocol in the primary care setting with aims to improve the recognition and treatment of depression. The project’s objectives included increasing the frequency of depression screening at annual wellness visits, utilizing the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) or Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) screening tool for continued monitoring of depressive symptoms, and improving depression management. This student-led quality improvement project was based upon evidence-based interventions. Implementation of the protocol in an urban primary care clinic resulted in a significant improvement in rates of use of the PHQ tools, supported consistent accurate documentation of depression management plans, and significantly improved accurate billing for the service provided.
ScholarWorks Citation
Fowler, Cheryl, "Improving Depression Screening and Follow-up in Primary Care through Implementation of an Evidence-Based Protocol" (2019). Doctoral Projects. 82.
https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/kcon_doctoralprojects/82
