Date of Conferral
2-11-2025
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Sue Bell
Abstract
Depression is one of the most common psychiatric illnesses and one of the main causes of disability globally. Currently, at behavioral care facility patients are not consistently screened during the initial and follow-up visits due to limited staff knowledge in using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) screening tool. Evidence-based literature recommends depression screening be done at every initial and follow-up visit. The PHQ-9 tool is valid and reliable for identifying, diagnosing, and monitoring depression treatment outcomes. Inadequate use of the PHQ-9 tool can lead to several negative patient outcomes. The project practice-focused question was: Does comprehensive education increase the knowledge of staff in using the PHQ-9 screening tool in the management of depression among adults and older adults at a behavioral health facility? Before this project, the site did not have any formal education training module on the use of the PHQ-9 tool. The purpose of this project is to address this gap by creating, delivering, and evaluating an evidence-based educational program for providers in the proper use of the PHQ-9 screening tool in the identification and management of depression. The ADDIE model for nursing education guided the education module involving 10 participants who completed 10-question, 5-point Likert scale pretest and posttest surveys. The collected data were analyzed using a paired t-test to evaluate participants’ self-perceived knowledge improvement. The results showed a significant change from the pretest M = 2.20, SD = 1.14) to the posttest scores (M = 4.80, SD = .43); (t(9) = -7.00, p <0.001). Improving providers’ knowledge can positively impact social change through proper diagnosis, a decrease in undiagnosed and untreated depression, enhanced patients' health, and elimination of health-related complications of depression. Health equity may be promoted through consistency in depression screening, diagnosis, and treatment across patient population groups.
Recommended Citation
Anike, Adaku, "Improving the Consistency and Accuracy of Depression Screening Using the PHQ-9 in a Behavioral Health Facility" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 17314.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/17314
