Abstract
When compared to the general population, depression prevalence rates are nearly twice as high in type 2 diabetics (Arshad & Alvi, 2016; Badescu et al., 2016; Barnacle et al., 2018). The presence of undiagnosed depression in diabetic patients has been associated with a worsened prognosis, decrease in compliance, poorer quality of life, increased mortality, and higher healthcare costs (Lloyd et al., 2018). Despite its high prevalence and detrimental health impact, the recognition of depression in type 2 diabetic patients is suboptimal. Depression screening tools, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), have been shown to be highly effective in the primary care setting (Barnacle et al., 2016; Munoz-Navarro et al., 2017; van der Zwaan et al., 2016). This quality improvement project implemented and evaluated a routine depression screening protocol in patients experiencing type 2 diabetes within the primary care setting. Participating staff members were educated on the utility of the PHQ-9 screening tool and subsequent treatment for depression. Data collected included the number of screenings completed in the focus population prior to the project and compared this to screenings completed during project implementation. Data was collected for nine weeks. Results of the study showed an increase in depression screening due to the education provided and policy change. Further research is needed to examine the impact of staff knowledge and mental health stigmas in depression screening practices.