Abstract
Introduction
In 2015, the Burn Quality Improvement Program (BQUIP) guidelines were established with recommendations for systematic screening of Major Depressive Disorder at all verified burn centers. Our level one trauma center rolled out a program to screen all patients entering the burn service starting in June 2018. After a year of collecting data, we have been able to evaluate the program and make recommendations for other burn centers.
Methods
All patients admitted to the inpatient burn service who were over 12 years of age were screened by bedside nurses using the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2). Exclusion for screening included those who were intubated and sedated and/or not alert or oriented. A reminder automatically popped up in the nursing task list in the electronic medical record until it was given, or patient was coded as not appropriate for screening.
Results
A total of 509 patients were admitted to the Burn Service between June 2018 and May 2019. Of those, 40 were identified as not being appropriate for screening due to inability to regain consciousness, and 116 (24%) were not screened for unknown reasons. The remaining patients, 353 (77%) were screened with the PHQ-2 and 94% of these patients were screened on the same day of admit. Of the patients screened, 28 (8%) scored above the clinical cut-off for probable depression (PHQ-2 ³ 3) and 265 (75.1%) did not endorse any symptoms on the PHQ-2. Of the 28 that screened positive, 16 (57.1%) received psychological services. Of those that did not receive psychology services, the majority were admitted for less than 3 days (n=10, 76.9%).
Conclusions
In the first year of the program the vast majority of eligible patients were able to be screened by nursing staff with a 2-item measure. A 77% screening rate is high for a trauma setting. This success is likely due to the automation of the task in the electronic medical record, the ease of use of the PHQ-2 and the dedication of the nursing staff. The 8% rate of a positive screen is higher than the general population (4%) but a similar rate to what is reported in the literature of burn survivors who are 5- and 10-years post burn injury. Given that most patients were screened within 24 hours of admission, we are capturing depressive symptoms that predate the injury. We know that depression can impair burn recovery (e.g., affect participation in therapy, impede wound healing) and lead to poorer long-term outcomes. Systematic screening of depressive symptoms upon admission will allow us to intervene earlier and potentially reduce barriers to optimal recovery. We will be discussing utilization of resources for providing inpatient services to patients with a positive screen.
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