Creating Better Outcomes for Patients with Heart Diseases–Reducing Depression through Early Detection and Interventions

Immanuel Paul Vinod. S; Dr. Sheila Christopher

Volume : IV, Issue : XI, November - 2014

Creating Better Outcomes for Patients with Heart Diseases–Reducing Depression through Early Detection and Interventions

Immanuel Paul Vinod. S, Dr. Sheila Christopher

Abstract :

Background: A growing body of evidence points to significant relationship between heart diseases (HD) and depression.Depression reduces the chance of successful modifications of other cardiac risk factors and associated with higher utilization and costs and greatly reduced Quality Of Life (QOL).Though depression affects cardiac outcomes directly or indirectly, screening for depression should be a regular protocol to be followed. This study is done to screen patients for depression and insist the importance of depression screening in cardiac patients Method and methodology: A non–experimental study design approach was used in 75 patients who attended cardiac outpatient unit. Self–reported screening tools, Patient Health Questionnaire, PHQ–2 were used to screen for the depression. If a patient says yes to one or either both the questions, PHQ–9 questionnaire was administered.40 patients fulfilled the criteria by answering YES to one or both the questions. These 40 patients were included in the study and simple descriptive statistics were used. Results: At the end of this simple study,40–45% of the population who had a cardiac event has mild to moderate depression which was not diagnosed. The screening tool which was administered, PHQ–2 and PHQ 9, was found to be effective in screening patients for depression. Conclusion: The high prevalence of depression in patients with HD supports a strategy of increased awareness and screening for depression in patients with HD which should be routinely done.Early detection of depression followed by effective treatment can produce favorable outcomes after a cardiac event thereby reducing morbidity and mortality