Utilizing PHQ-9 to Standardize Healthcare Assessments

Author

Angela M. Wooley, The University of Texas at El Paso

Date of Award

5-13-2020

Degree Type

DNP Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing (ND)

Department

Nursing

Chair

Hector R. Morales

Abstract

Depression is a serious condition that if left untreated can lead to life threatening situations. Healthcare providers are responsible for recognizing and assessing those individuals dealing with depression. Screening tools have been shown to be beneficial in assisting healthcare providers to identify those individuals meeting the depression criterion. The PHQ-9 is a self-administered screening tool that has shown to be reliable and valid in screening individuals for depression in most healthcare settings. The PHQ-9 was utilized in this project and, as shown by evidence-based practice, can assist clinicians in assessing for depression and provide valuable information regarding the severity of an individual’s depression. Prior to my DNP project, my healthcare assessments were performed without knowing the level of depression severity secondary to individuals were screened based on my professional experience only. I worked with the general adult population ages 18-99+ in a psychiatric hospital and utilized the PHQ-9 screening tool, which resulted in 62 patients being screened. All patients yielded positive outcomes with minimal to severe depression severity scores. Utilizing the PHQ-9 improved my overall healthcare assessment by providing concise and tangible evidence of depression severity screening results.

Recommended Citation

Wooley, Angela M., "Utilizing PHQ-9 to Standardize Healthcare Assessments" (2020). Cohort VIII. 2.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/cohort_8/2