The BRIGHTEN Program: Implementation and Evaluation of a Program to Bridge Resources of an Interdisciplinary Geriatric Health Team via Electronic Networking

• Published in: The Gerontologist Vol. 52; no. 6; pp. 857 - 865
• Main Authors: Emery, Erin E, Lapidos, Stan, Eisenstein, Amy R, Ivan, Iulia I, Golden, Robyn L
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01-12-2012
• Subjects: Access to Health Care; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anxiety; Anxiety - diagnosis; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety - therapy; Clinics; Cooperation; Delivery of Health Care, Integrated - organization & administration; Depression (Psychology); Depression - diagnosis; Depression - therapy; Elderly; Enrollment; Feasibility Studies; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Geriatrics; Health; Health Plan Implementation - organization & administration; Health Resources; Health Services; Humans; Information Technology; Interdisciplinary Approach; Interdisciplinary Communication; Interprofessional Relations; Intervention; Male; Mass Screening; Medical Services; Medicine; Mental depression; Mental Health; Middle Aged; Networks; Older Adults; Older people; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care); Outpatients; Patient Care Planning; Patient Care Team - organization & administration; Patients; Primary Health Care - organization & administration; Program Descriptions; Program Development; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation - methods; Program Implementation; Screening Tests; Surveys and Questionnaires; Therapy; United States > US
• ISSN: 0016-9013; 1758-5341
• DOI: 10.1093/geront/gns034

Purpose: To demonstrate the feasibility of the BRIGHTEN Program (Bridging Resources of an Interdisciplinary Geriatric Health Team via Electronic Networking), an interdisciplinary team intervention for assessing and treating older adults for depression in outpatient primary and specialty medical clinics. The BRIGHTEN team collaborates "virtually" to review patient assessment results, develop a treatment plan, and refer to appropriate team members for follow-up care. Design and Methods: Older adults in 9 academic medical center clinics and 2 community-based clinics completed screening forms for symptoms of depression and anxiety. Those with positive screens engaged in comprehensive assessment with the BRIGHTEN Program Coordinator; the BRIGHTEN virtual team provided treatment recommendations based on the results of assessment. A collaborative treatment plan was developed with each participant, who was then connected to appropriate services. Results: Two thousand four hundred twenty-two older adults were screened in participating clinics over a 40-month period. Eight hundred fifty-nine older adults screened positive, and 150 elected to enroll in BRIGHTEN. From baseline to 6 months, significant improvements were found in depression symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale, p less than 0.01) and general mental health (SF-12 Mental Component, p less than 0.01). Implications: The BRIGHTEN Program demonstrated that an interdisciplinary virtual team linked with outpatient medical clinics can be an effective, nonthreatening, and seamless approach to enable older adults to access treatment for depression.