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Quality of Mental Health Care for Depressed AdolescentsDivision of Health Services Research, University of Arkansas, KramerTeresaL{at}uams.edu
Program for Young Adults, University of Arkansas
Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago
Center for Applied Research and Evaluation, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas Understanding the quality of routine care for adolescent depression constitutes the initial step in designing and implementing improvement strategies. This study assessed depression detection and type and duration of services for adolescents in mental health care settings. Medical record diagnosis and standardized research interview results were compared for youth seeking mental health treatment. The majority of depressed adolescents received care consistent with guidelines and evidence. However, only 51% received appropriate medication; fewer than half received at least 8 sessions of outpatient care or follow-up after hospitalization. Males received significantly fewer components of quality care compared with females. Depression diagnoses in routine care may be facilitated by using structured interviews or questionnaires. Quality monitoring and improvement initiatives may also increase rates of care components that are consistent with guidelines and evidence. Methods tested in this study may facilitate the evaluation of quality improvement initiatives for adolescent depression or other mental health disorders. (Am J Med Qual 2008;23:96-104)
Key Words: adolescent depression mental health care quality improvement initiative
This version was published on April
1, 2008 American Journal of Medical Quality, Vol. 23, No. 2,
96-104 (2008) |
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