Sensitivity and specificity of a two-question screening tool for depression in a specialist palliative care unit.
Authors
Payne, AnnBarry, Sandra
Creedon, Brian
Stone, Carol
Sweeney, Catherine
O' Brien, Tony
O' Sullivan, Kathleen
Affiliation
Cork University Hospital, Cork, Ireland. dannann@eircom.netIssue Date
2012-02-03T15:16:46ZMeSH
AdultAged
Aged, 80 and over
Chi-Square Distribution
Depression/*diagnosis
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Palliative Care/*methods
Prospective Studies
*Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Questionnaires
Sensitivity and Specificity
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Palliat Med. 2007 Apr;21(3):193-8.Journal
Palliative medicineDOI
10.1177/0269216307077315PubMed ID
17641072Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The primary objective in this study is to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a two-item screening interview for depression versus the formal psychiatric interview, in the setting of a specialist palliative in-patient unit so that we may identify those individuals suffering from depressive disorder and therefore optimise their management in this often-complex population. METHODS: A prospective sample of consecutive admissions (n = 167) consented to partake in the study, and the screening interview was asked separately to the formal psychiatric interview. RESULTS: The two-item questionnaire, achieved a sensitivity of 90.7% (95% CI 76.9-97.0) but a lower specificity of 67.7% (95% CI 58.7-75.7). The false positive rate was 32.3% (95% CI 24.3-41.3), but the false negative rate was found to be a low 9.3% (95% CI 3.0-23.1). A subgroup analysis of individuals with a past experience of depressive illness, (n = 95), revealed that a significant number screened positive for depression by the screening test, 55.2% (16/29) compared to those with no background history of depression, 33.3% (22/66) (P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: The high sensitivity and low false negative rate of the two-question screening tool will aid health professionals in identifying depression in the in-patient specialist palliative care unit. Individuals, who admit to a previous experience of depressive illness, are more likely to respond positively to the two-item questionnaire than those who report no prior history of depressive illness (P = 0.045).Language
engISSN
0269-2163 (Print)0269-2163 (Linking)
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1177/0269216307077315