Depression screenings: Developing a model for use in a community pharmacy.

Objective:To develop a depression screening model that can be replicated by other community pharmacists, conduct a depression screening in a community pharmacy, identify and appropriately refer patients with symptoms consistent with depression. Design: Uncontrolled study. Setting: Four supermarkets in the Kansas City, Kans. and Mo.. metropolitan area, on January 25, 2003. Participants: 18 supermarket shoppers, 6 community pharmacists, and 4 psychiatric pharmacy specialists. Intervention: Identification of symptoms consistent with major depressive disorder (MDD). Main outcome measures: The feasibility and effectiveness of developed depression screening; identify and appropriately refer patients with symptoms consistent with depression. Results: The depression screening model was tested as a pilot project to evaluate its feasibility and effectiveness. The mean (&plusmin; SD) total score on the 10-item Harvard Department of Psychiatry/National Depression Screening Day Scale (HANDS) tool was 5.8 &plusmin; 5.0. Overall, of 18 total participants, 14 were unlikely to have symptoms of MDD, 3 had symptoms consistent with MDD (including 1 reporting recent suicidal thinking), and 1 had symptoms strongly consistent with MDD. Patients followed the pharmacist's referral recommendations in all cases. Conclusion: The HANDS tool is easily used in community pharmacy as a screening form. With training, community pharmacists are capable of performing screenings and referring patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]