Depression Screening in Chronic Disease Management A Worksite Health Promotion Initiative

• Published in: Workplace health & safety Vol. 64; no. 3; pp. 89 - 94
• Main Authors: Jensen, Elizabeth, Dumas, Bonnie P., Edlund, Barbara J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-03-2016
• Subjects: Advanced Practice Nursing; Depression - complications; Depression - prevention & control; Depression - therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - complications; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - psychology; Health Promotion; Humans; Hyperlipidemias - psychology; Hypertension - psychology; Motivational Interviewing; Nursing; Occupational Health; Pilot Projects; Self Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; continuous quality improvement; chronic illnesses; occupational health and safety programs; mental health; occupational health and safety team; advance practice nurses; health coaching/motivational interviewing
• ISSN: 2165-0799; 2165-0969
• DOI: 10.1177/2165079915608404

This pilot project aimed to improve depression symptoms and quality-of-life measures for individuals in a worksite disease management program. Two hundred forty-three individuals were invited to participate, out of which 69 enrolled. The participants had a history of diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia, and demonstrated depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9). The project consisted of counseling sessions provided every 2 to 4 weeks by a family nurse practitioner. PHQ-9 scores and those of an instrument that measures quality of life, the Veteran’s Rand–12 (VR-12), were compared pre-intervention and post-intervention to evaluate the effectiveness of the project. PHQ-9 and VR-12 Mental Health Component (MHC) scores improved significantly after 3 months of nurse practitioner-led individual counseling sessions. This project demonstrated that depression screening and therapeutic management, facilitated by a nurse practitioner, can improve depression and perceived quality of life in individuals with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, or type 2 diabetes.