Document Type
Other
Publication Date
9-11-2023
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Faculty Advisor
Sue Penque, PhD, APRN, ANP-BC, NE-BC, NC-C
Practice Mentor
Hilary Sullivan, DNP-APRN, FNP-C
Abstract
Significance and Background: Opioid dependence continues to be a fighting battle in our country. While many individuals do well on maintenance therapy such as suboxone, they often are faced with comorbid challenges including depression and anxiety. Research shows that the risk for depressive symptoms in opioid dependent adults increases along with the duration of use and increase of dosage (Semenkovich et al., 2014). There is no consistency among depression screening for opioid dependent adults despite the research that suggests the two often coincide with one another. The goal of this quality improvement project was to implement routine depression screening using the PHQ9 survey for the opioid dependent adults who are patients of the practice setting.
Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement project is to utilize the PHQ9 survey for opioid dependent adults who have been on maintenance therapy for at least 30 days prior to the beginning of this project to identify depressive symptoms that often coincide with opioid use and misuse. The goal of this project is for the provider to treat or refer patients to treatment options for depressive symptoms, ultimately improving their quality of life.
Methods: The method used for this quality improvement project was The Institute for Health Care Improvement (IHI) Model (PDSA).
Outcome: After reviewing the data, it was found that 66% of the opioid dependent adults who participated in this quality improvement project had positive scores on their PHQ9 survey, identifying depressive symptoms that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. Of the 66% of patients who had positive scores, 78% were open to discuss treatment options for depression such as medical management or therapy.
Discussion: The outcome of this quality improvement project ultimately concludes that routine depression screening should be a part of routine visits for opioid dependent adults.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Fuhr, T. (2023). Utilizing the PHQ9 survey to improve depressive symptoms in opioid dependent adults: A Quality Improvement Project [Unpublished DNP project]. Sacred Heart University
Comments
A DNP project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice, Sacred Heart University Davis & Henley College of Nursing.