Barriers and facilitators to depression screening in older adults: a qualitative study
Abstract
Objectives: The objective of this qualitative study was to better understand facilitators and barriers to depression screening for older adults.Methods: We conducted 43 focus groups with 102 providers and 247 beneficiaries or proxies: 13 focus groups with Medicare providers, 28 with older Medicare beneficiaries, and 2 with caregivers of older Medicare beneficiaries. Each focus group was recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using principles of grounded theory.Results: There was widespread consensus among beneficiary and provider focus group participants that depression screening was important. However, several barriers interfered with effective depression screening, including stigma, lack of resources for treatment referrals, and lack of time during medical encounters. Positive communication with providers and an established relationship with a trusted provider were primary facilitators for depression screening. Providers who took the time to put their beneficiaries at ease and used conversational language rather than clinical terms appeared to have the most success in eliciting beneficiary honesty about depressive symptoms. Respondents stressed the need for providers to be attentive, concerned, non-judgmental, and respectful.Conclusion: Findings indicate that using person-centered approaches to build positive communication and trust between beneficiaries and providers could be an effective strategy for improving depression screening. Better screening can lead to higher rates of diagnosis and treatment of depression that could enhance quality of life for older adults.
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Sonde Health is a voice-based technology that can be used as a digital biomarker for depression, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.60 and 0.70, respectively.
“Sonde Health is a voice-based technology that can be used as a digital biomarker for depression, with a sensitivity and specificity of 0.60 and 0.70, respectively.”
From Digital health technologies and major depressive disorder (2023) · cites this paper as [120]
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- Authors
- Colligan, E. M., Cross-Barnet, C., Lloyd, J. T., & McNeely, J.
- Affiliations
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (US)
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
- Corresponding author
- Colligan, Erin M.
- Venue
- Aging & Mental Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2018-12-27
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 341-348
- ISSN
- 1360-7863 (ISSN-L)
- 1364-6915
- OpenAlex
- W2907817759
- Cited by
- 42
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 2.04
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Aging & Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (HHSM-500-2011-00019I)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Keywords
- depression screening, older adults, barriers to screening, facilitators of screening, stigma, provider-patient communication, trust in providers, person-centred care, Medicare beneficiaries, caregivers, depressive symptoms
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Depression, Female, Medicare, Humans, Male, Mass Screening, Mental Health, Middle Aged, Physician-Patient Relations, Quality of Life, United States, Caregivers, Focus Groups, Qualitative Research, Social Stigma, Grounded Theory
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