Abstract
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Screening has long been a part of depression detection in adults in primary care. This screening process, specifically the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), is used for the general population, but has not been routinely tested for specific populations. Currently there is a gap in screening adult patients with type 2 diabetes for signs and symptoms of depression in the primary care setting. Type 2 diabetes is a chronic illness that can be emotionally difficult to manage. This research project implemented the PHQ-9 depression screening tool to adult patients with type 2 diabetes in a primary care clinic. Furthermore, education was provided to the staff that implemented this screening process on the need for screening in this population. Data collected included the number of depression screenings done prior to the project compared to the number of screenings done after the project. Data was collected for 2 months. A clinic protocol was developed to screen for depression in the diabetic patient. Results showed an increase in depression screening due to the education provided. Further research should be done to help narrow down the frequency of depression screening in this population.|Keywords: depression, screen, diabetes, adult depression, screening tools, prevalence, statistics, prevention, and risk factors