Abstract
Integrating service learning into baccalaureate nursing courses has been viewed as a positive enhancement to the learning process for both nursing student and the service recipient. This particular service learning event involved nursing students screening low income Latino patients for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and a brief demographic survey at a free clinic in a large southwestern metropolitan area. In this IRB approved study, patients were screened before seeing the medical provider by nursing students trained in the use of the PHQ-9 and supervised by nursing faculty. Spanish and English versions of the PHQ-9 were available to patients; however, for this sample 92.8% of the participants chose the Spanish language version. The majority of the participants, 83.1%, cited physical health issues as the reason for the clinic visit. The results of screening 83 patients indicated that the majority, 65.1%, scored in the depression severity of "none" category, followed by "mild" (18.1%), "moderate" (6.0%), and "moderately severe (4.8%). Only 6% of participants scored in the "severe" category. The implications of this screening were not only that patients were screened for potential depression, but that nursing students were able to provide needed depression screening to a medically underserved community of Latino patients. The screening not only reinforced the service learning component of the clinical rotation in that the students could realize the tangible results of their own actions with the depression screening, but brought awareness to the students of this readily available and easily administered clinical depression screening tool. Additionally, the use of the PHQ-9 enhanced the students' attention to depression in the outpatient community health setting and alerted students to the need to address previously unidentified mental health needs.
Sigma Membership
Unknown
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Service Learning, Health Promotion, Nursing Education
Recommended Citation
Hanks, Robert Gordon Jr.; Mitschke, Diane; and Mitschke, Aaron, "Depression screening as a service learning activity in community health nursing" (2012). Convention. 122.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2011/presentations_2011/122
Conference Name
41st Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Grapevine, Texas, USA
Conference Year
2011
Rights Holder
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Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Depression screening as a service learning activity in community health nursing
Grapevine, Texas, USA
Integrating service learning into baccalaureate nursing courses has been viewed as a positive enhancement to the learning process for both nursing student and the service recipient. This particular service learning event involved nursing students screening low income Latino patients for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and a brief demographic survey at a free clinic in a large southwestern metropolitan area. In this IRB approved study, patients were screened before seeing the medical provider by nursing students trained in the use of the PHQ-9 and supervised by nursing faculty. Spanish and English versions of the PHQ-9 were available to patients; however, for this sample 92.8% of the participants chose the Spanish language version. The majority of the participants, 83.1%, cited physical health issues as the reason for the clinic visit. The results of screening 83 patients indicated that the majority, 65.1%, scored in the depression severity of "none" category, followed by "mild" (18.1%), "moderate" (6.0%), and "moderately severe (4.8%). Only 6% of participants scored in the "severe" category. The implications of this screening were not only that patients were screened for potential depression, but that nursing students were able to provide needed depression screening to a medically underserved community of Latino patients. The screening not only reinforced the service learning component of the clinical rotation in that the students could realize the tangible results of their own actions with the depression screening, but brought awareness to the students of this readily available and easily administered clinical depression screening tool. Additionally, the use of the PHQ-9 enhanced the students' attention to depression in the outpatient community health setting and alerted students to the need to address previously unidentified mental health needs.
Description
41st Biennial Convention - 29 October-2 November 2011. Theme: People and Knowledge: Connecting for Global Health. Held at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center.