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Biomedical subjects

Patrick J Raue

Publications and source records attributed to Patrick J Raue.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Suicidal ideation among elderly homecare patients.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the prevalence, correlates, and one-year naturalistic course of suicidal ideation in a representative sample of elderly adults newly admitted to visiting nurse homecare. METHOD: Five hundred and thirty-nine participants (aged > or =65), newly initiating homecare for skilled nursing services, were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV) and measures of depression severity, medical comorbidity, functional status, and social support. Participants were classified as having no suicidal ideation in the past month, passive ideation, active ideation, or active ideation with poor impulse control or suicide plan. RESULTS: Fifty-seven participants (10.6%) reported passive and six (1.2%) reported active suicidal ideation. Higher depression severity, greater medical comorbidity, and lower subjective social support were independently associated with the presence of any level of suicidal ideation. At one year, suicidal ideation persisted for 36.7% of those with ideation at baseline, and the incidence of suicide ideation was 5.4% CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence, persistence, and incidence of suicidal ideation in medically ill home healthcare patients underscore the relevance of this population for suicide prevention efforts. The clinical and psychosocial factors associated with suicidal ideation in this underserved, high-risk population are potentially modifiable, and thus useful targets for suicide prevention interventions.

Aged↗

Treating late-life depression with interpersonal psychotherapy in the primary care sector.

BACKGROUND: Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is an empirically-validated intervention for treating late-life depression. OBJECTIVE: To determine the manner in which IPT is utilized by primary care physicians in relation to antidepressant medications. METHODS: The authors reviewed treatment logs prepared by care managers during the first 12 months of a patient's participation in the PROSPECT clinical trial to determine initial and longitudinal treatment patterns utilized by physicians, and clinical outcomes associated with initial treatment assignment. RESULTS: Primary care physicians in practices randomized to PROSPECT's intervention arm initially prescribed an antidepressant medication for 58% of eligible patients and referred only 11% of them to IPT. Over time, however, 27% of patients participated in IPT as monotherapy or augmentation therapy. Initial treatment assignment was not associated with depressive status at 4 and 12 months nor with suicidal ideation at 4, 8, and 12 months. CONCLUSION: IPT is an effective treatment for late-life depression whose greater use by primary care physicians should be encouraged.

Aged↗

An intervention to improve depression care in older adults with COPD.

OBJECTIVE: To describe an intervention for older persons with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to improve adherence to psychiatric, medical, and rehabilitation recommendations. The intervention supplements antidepressant therapy for depression with an individualized care manager who targets psychological barriers that interfere with treatment participation. METHOD: Description of intervention development, training, and barriers to care, and illustration with case example. RESULTS: Depression and its associated lack of motivation, helplessness, and lack of energy can obstruct active participation in rehabilitation exercises recommended for COPD. Additionally, depressed older adults perceive the benefits of depression treatment; however they also fear side effects, addiction to antidepressants and have concerns about stigma. The intervention elucidates individual attitudes and beliefs that may become barriers. The care manager works with the older adult to address the barriers and improve treatment participation. CONCLUSION: Augmentation of traditional pharmacotherapy for depression with a care manager can improve adherence to both depression and COPD treatment. This improved adherence may lessen the physical, psychological, and functional costs of both diseases.

Aged↗

Concordance between the PHQ-9 and the HSCL-20 in depressed primary care patients.

BACKGROUND: Two instruments commonly used in primary care research to measure depressive severity are the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-20 (HSCL-20). However, there is little information regarding the relationship between clinical information derived from these scales. The present study investigates the psychometric properties of the PHQ-9 and HSCL-20, determines the degree of instrument concordance, and describes the factor structure of the HSCL-20. METHODS: A secondary data analysis from a randomized controlled trial was performed. A total of 405 primary care patients with major depressive disorder and/or dysthymia were administered the PHQ-9 and the HSCL-20 when recruited for the study. RESULTS: Good internal consistency reliability estimates were obtained for both scales (PHQ-9 alpha=0.803; HSCL-20 alpha=0.837). All PHQ-9 inter-item and corrected item-total correlations showed that no item detracted from overall scale functioning. HSCL-20 items assessing overeating, poor appetite, and sexual interest were poorly correlated with other items and with the total scale score. A positive, moderate strength relationship was found between the instruments (r=0.54, p<0.0001). Exploratory factor analysis of the HSCL-20 yielded a six-factor structure, which accounted for almost 63% of the variance in total score. The largest contribution to common variance in the scale was provided by an "anxiety and self-reproach" factor. CONCLUSIONS: PHQ-9 and HSCL-20 total scores were moderately correlated. Although the HSCL-20 is utilized as a measure of depression severity, it may lack sufficient specificity to be an accurate reflection of depression status per se.

Adolescent↗

Outcomes of depressed patients undergoing inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation.

OBJECTIVE: Approximately 30% of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience depression. Pulmonary rehabilitation for COPD focuses on physical conditioning, but includes behavioral interventions that may address depressive symptoms. This study tested the hypothesis that brief inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation is followed by improvement in both depressive symptoms and function in patients with COPD with major depression. METHODS: The subjects, who were recruited from the pulmonary rehabilitation unit of the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital in White Plains, NY, who had COPD and major depression were consecutively admitted patients to a pulmonary rehabilitation unit. Symptoms of depression, disability, medical burden, the experience of support, and satisfaction with treatment were systematically ascertained on admission and before discharge. RESULTS: Three hundred sixty-one patients were screened and 63 met criteria for COPD and major depression. Depressive symptoms improved by discharge (z = -6.785, p <0.0001); median length of stay was 16 days. Approximately 51% of subjects met criteria for response (50% or greater reduction in depressive symptoms scores from baseline), and 39% met criteria for remission (final Hamilton Depression scale score equal to or less than 10). History of treatment for depression was associated with limited change in depressive symptoms, whereas social support and satisfaction with treatment were predictors of improvement. All disability domains were lower at discharge compared to baseline (z = -3.928, p <0.0001). Subjects with pronounced disability at baseline had the greatest improvement if their depression improved by discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Acute inpatient rehabilitation is followed by improvement of depressive symptoms and disability in older patients with COPD and major depression. Improvement of depression may be the result of behavioral interventions rather than the use of antidepressant drugs.

Aged↗

Does every allusion to possible suicide require the same response?

Assess patients with major depression or substance abuse for suicide ideation, as they are at elevated risk for self-harm. Severity of suicide ideation is associated with suicide risk. Its assessment, therefore, should proceed sequentially from passive to active suicide ideation, to a specific detailed plan, including intention to harm oneself, reasons for living, and impulse control. Primary care patients at mild to moderate risk for suicide can be effectively treated in primary care settings; however, patients at high risk should be referred to mental health specialists given their need for intensive treatments and frequent monitoring.

Depressive Disorder↗

Symptoms of depression in older home-care patients: patient and informant reports.

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of agreement and patterns of disagreement between home-care patient and informant reports of depressive symptoms. The authors interviewed a sample of 355 older home-care patients and their informants using the Structured Diagnostic Interview for DSM-IV (R. L. Spitzer, M. Gibbon, & J. B. Williams, 1995). Informants reported more psychological symptoms than patients, and this type of discrepancy was higher for patients with cognitive impairment and patients who had younger informants. Younger informants also reported more cognitive symptoms, whereas patients were more likely to report suicidal thoughts or ideation if they were not cognitively impaired. The patterns of these discrepancies may reflect age- and cohort-related response bias in the reports of depressive symptoms obtained from older adults.

Adult↗

The Cornell Service Index as a measure of health service use.

OBJECTIVE: This article describes the development, administration, and reliability of the Cornell Services Index (CSI), a new instrument that measures health service use. The CSI was developed to create a standardized measure of the quantity and characteristics (for example, site and provider) of services used by adults. Descriptive data are provided to illustrate the application of the CSI in a community sample of adults who were newly admitted to outpatient mental health clinics. These data provide information about the pathways to care. METHODS: The interrater and test-retest reliability of the CSI were evaluated by using a sample of 40 adults who were seeking mental health treatment. Descriptive data on service use in a sample of 1,279 adults seeking care in outpatient mental health clinics was provided to demonstrate the application of the CSI. RESULTS: The CSI is a portable, easy to use, and brief assessment of service use. It has good interrater and test-retest reliability among adults without cognitive impairment. In the three months before seeking care, 31 percent of the adults interviewed had made a mental health visit, 36 percent had been hospitalized, and more than half (59 percent) had made a medical visit. Twenty-three percent of adults had sought care from a hospital's emergency department. CONCLUSIONS: The CSI is a reliable method to assess health service use for adults. The measure can extend assessment of use beyond the traditional mental health service use questions and provide a snapshot of service use patterns across types, providers, and sites of service among adults who seek mental health care.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗

Re-engineering systems for the treatment of depression in primary care: cluster randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of an evidence based model for management of depression in primary care with support from quality improvement resources. DESIGN: Cluster randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Five healthcare organisations in the United States and 60 affiliated practices. PATIENTS: 405 patients, aged > or = 18 years, starting or changing treatment for depression. INTERVENTION: Care provided by clinicians, with staff providing telephone support under supervision from a psychiatrist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Severity of depression at three and six months (Hopkins symptom checklist-20): response to treatment (> or = 50% decrease in scores) and remission (score of < 0.5). RESULTS: At six months, 60% (106 of 177) of patients in intervention practices had responded to treatment compared with 47% (68 of 146) of patients in usual care practices (P = 0.02). At six months, 37% of intervention patients showed remission compared with 27% for usual care patients (P = 0.014). 90% of intervention patients rated their depression care as good or excellent at six months compared with 75% of usual care patients (P = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: Resources such as quality improvement programmes can be used effectively in primary care to implement evidence based management of depression and improve outcomes for patients with depression.

Adult↗

Depression in elderly homecare patients: patient versus informant reports.

BACKGROUND: This study compares patient and informant reports of depressive disorders in a community sample of elderly medical homecare patients. The associations between specific patterns of agreement/disagreement and other patient and informant characteristics are examined. METHOD: A random sample of 355 elderly medical homecare patients and their informants were interviewed using the current mood section of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients (10.4 %) reported a depressive disorder (major or subsyndromal) that was also identified by their informant while 27 (7.6 %) patients self-reported depression that the informant did not identify. There were 250 patients (70.4 %) who were not depressed according to both patient and informant report and 41 patients (11.5%) were identified as depressed by informant report alone. Patients identified as depressed by informant report alone were similar to patients who self-reported depression on a number of the sociodemographic and clinical correlates of depression, but had significantly poorer performance on items assessing orientation and short-term recall. These patients also had poorer functioning in a number of domains (social, cognitive, and functional) when compared with patients who were not depressed according to both the patient and informant. Finally, patients with younger informants were more likely to be identified as depressed by their informant. CONCLUSIONS: Obtaining informant reports of depression may be a useful method for detecting clinically significant cases of late-life depression that would otherwise be missed when relying only on patient report.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Recognition of late-life depression in home care: accuracy of the outcome and assessment information set.

This study evaluated the accuracy of home care nurses' ratings of the Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) depression items. The accuracy of home care nurses' depression assessments was studied by comparing nurse ratings of OASIS depression items with a research diagnostic assessment based on the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (SCID). The setting for this study was a nonprofit, Medicare-certified, voluntary home healthcare agency. Sixty-four home care nurses assessed 220 patients aged 65 and older with the OASIS upon admission. Of the 220 patients, using standard SCID criteria, 35 cases of major or minor depression were identified. The home care nurses accurately documented the presence of depression in 13 of 35 cases (sensitivity=37.1%; positive predictive value=0.56). Of the 220 patients, 185 had no SCID-identified major or minor depression. The nurses agreed on the absence of depression in 175 of 185 cases (specificity=94.6%; negative predictive value=88.8%). This study indicates that home care nurses often do not accurately rate OASIS depression items for older adult patients.

Aged↗

Recognition of depression among elderly recipients of home care services.

OBJECTIVE: Depression among older home care patients is prevalent but undertreated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of home health nurses to correctly identify depression among older patients and to describe nurse and patient characteristics associated with more accurate assessment of depression. METHODS: Forty-two nurses were surveyed about the presence of depressive symptoms among patients who had been evaluated independently for depressive disorders by research staff using the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I DSM-IV Disorders. A sample of newly admitted home health care patients who were aged 65 years or older was randomly selected for this evaluation on a weekly basis from December 1997 to December 1999. RESULTS: Of 403 patients who were evaluated, 97 (24 percent) were found to have either major depression (64 patients) or minor depression (33 patients). The nurses correctly identified depression among 44 of the 97 patients who were depressed (sensitivity of 45.4) and 230 of the 306 patients who were not depressed (specificity of 75.2). The kappa coefficient measuring overall agreement between the nurses' assessment and the diagnosis of depression was.19. Nurses who had more geriatric nursing experience were more likely to correctly identify depression. CONCLUSIONS: Home health nurses have difficulty making accurate assessments of depression among older home care patients. Inaccuracy in assessment of depression by home health nurses is a significant barrier to treatment in this elderly homebound population.

Aged↗

Religious practice and depression among geriatric home care patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between religious practice and depression in a sample of geriatric patients receiving homecare nursing services. METHODS: Patients were sampled weekly for six months from all those aged 65 to 102, and newly enrolled in a visiting nurse agency (N = 130). Depression was assessed by home interviews using the SCID and HRSD. Patients reported their religious service participation prior to receiving homecare and currently. Health status, disability, pain, social support and history of depression were also assessed. RESULTS: The current prevalence of DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) was significantly greater (p < .05), and depressive symptoms were more severe (p < .02), among those persons who had not attended religious services prior to receiving homecare. Logistic regression demonstrated that the effect of religious attendance remained significant when controlling for health status, disability, pain, social support and history of depression. A subsequent analysis compared three groups of patients. They were those who had: 1) Not attended religious services; 2) Stopped attending since homecare; 3) Continued attending. Data demonstrated significantly decreasing prevalence of MDD (p < .03) across the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Prevalence of DSM-IV Major Depressive Disorder and the severity of depressive symptoms were significantly lower among homecare patients who attend religious services. Because a large proportion of persons stop attending religious services after initiating homecare, it is suggested that visitation by clergy may improve depressive symptoms for these patients.

Aged↗

Convergent validity of the Agnew Relationship Measure and the Working Alliance Inventory.

The convergent validity of the Agnew Relationship Measure (ARM) and the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI) was assessed in samples drawn from 2 comparative clinical trials of time-limited psychotherapies for depression. In 1 sample, clients (n = 18) and therapists (n = 4) completed self-report versions of both measures after every session (n = 198). In the other sample, clients (n = 39) and therapists (n = 6) completed the ARM, and observers subsequently rated selected audiotaped sessions (n = 78) using the WAI. In both samples, the ARM's core alliance scales (Bond, Partnership, and Confidence) were correlated with the WAI's scales (Bond, Tasks, and Goals) strongly when assessed within client and therapist perspectives and, with some qualifications, moderately when assessed between client, therapist, and observer perspectives, supporting the assumption that the ARM and the WAI measure some of the same core constructs.

Adult↗

Assessing behavioral health using OASIS: Part 1: Depression and suicidality.

This article is the first of a two-part series on assessing behavioral health in adult and elderly patients using OASIS. Direct questioning about emotional and behavioral symptoms in addition to observation, reports from family members, and input from other team members are used. This approach improves assessment information and increases nurse confidence and accuracy when making referrals for further psychiatric evaluation and treatment.

Adult↗

Major depression in elderly home health care patients.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the growth of geriatric home health services, little is known about the mental health needs of geriatric patients seen in their homes. The authors report the distribution, correlates, and treatment status of DSM-IV major depression in a random sample of elderly patients receiving home health care for medical or surgical problems. METHOD: Geriatric patients newly admitted to a large, traditional visiting nurse agency were sampled on a weekly basis over a period of 2 years. The 539 patients ranged in age from 65 to 102 years; 351 (65%) were women, and 81 (15%) were nonwhite. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders was used to interview patients and informants. The authors reviewed the results of these interviews plus the patients' medical charts to generate a best-estimate DSM-IV psychiatric diagnosis. RESULTS: The patients had substantial medical burden and disability. According to DSM-IV criteria, 73 (13.5%) of the 539 patients were diagnosed with major depression. Most of these patients (N=52, 71%) were experiencing their first episode of depression, and the episode had lasted for more than 2 months in most patients (N=57, 78%). Major depression was significantly associated with medical morbidity, instrumental activities of daily living disability, reported pain, and a past history of depression but not with cognitive function or sociodemographic factors. Only 16 (22%) of the depressed patients were receiving antidepressant treatment, and none was receiving psychotherapy. Five (31%) of the 16 patients receiving antidepressants were prescribed subtherapeutic doses, and two (18%) of the 11 who were prescribed appropriate doses reported not complying with their antidepressant treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Geriatric major depression is twice as common in patients receiving home care as in those receiving primary care. Most depressions in patients receiving home care are untreated. The poor medical and functional status of these patients and the complex organizational structure of home health care pose a challenge for determining safe and effective strategies for treating depressed elderly home care patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Assessing behavioral health using OASIS: part 2: cognitive impairment, problematic behaviors, and anxiety.

This article is the second of a two-part series on assessing behavioral health in adult and elderly home care patients using OASIS. Part 1 presented an assessment approach for depressive symptoms and suicidality. This article presents the assessment of cognitive impairment, problematic behaviors, and anxiety using OASIS as a framework and stresses the importance of direct questioning. Case scenarios and guidelines for referral for further evaluation and possible treatment are provided.

Aged↗

The effectiveness of psychotherapy in treating depressive disorders in primary care practice: clinical and cost perspectives.

This paper reviews the clinical and cost effectiveness of psychotherapy for treating major and minor depression in primary care practice. Conclusions drawn from psychotherapy studies completed prior to 1995 were constrained by methodological deficiencies such as ambiguity regarding patient diagnostic status, use of non-specific psychotherapies, and lack of treatment manuals. More recent studies have addressed these flaws by shifting from efficacy to effectiveness designs, using standard diagnostic assessment procedures and appropriate follow-up time periods, using empirically evaluated treatment manuals, and selecting appropriate comparison conditions. Twelve primary care studies meeting these design criteria were analyzed, and the following conclusions were drawn: When used to treat major depression, a depression-specific psychotherapy produces better clinical outcomes than a primary care physician's usual care and outcomes similar to those produced by pharmacotherapy. When used to treat minor depression or dysthymia, the effectiveness of psychotherapy in comparison to usual care remains more equivocal. A review of the sparse data on cost effectiveness suggests that while psychotherapy has a higher fiscal cost than a physician's usual care, psychotherapy's higher value in treating patients with major depression may justify its use.

Antidepressive Agents↗