TY - JOUR
AU - M . Y. Tan
AU - S. C. Chong
AU - A. Chinnadurai
AU - S. Guruvayurappan
A1 - 
AB - INTRODUCTION: Screening for depression in caregivers of children with developmental disabilities is not routine, representing missed opportunities for support. METHOD: A quality improvement project was initiated in our pediatric clinic. Root causes of limited screening included unclear guidelines for support, caregiver perception that help is unavailable, and lack of a quick screening tool. A clinical pathway was constructed and integrated into existing practice using quality improvement methodology. RESULTS: Baseline screening rate was 5%-10%. During the 12-week pilot, weekly rates ranged from 46.0% to 91.0% (mean 70.2%). Monthly rates subsequently averaged 55.0%. Approximately 20% had a positive screen; over half were caregivers of children with autism. About 5% had moderate depression, of whom 40% required referral to social workers. DISCUSSION: Structured depression screening of caregivers of children with developmental disabilities is feasible and sustainable in a busy clinic. Further research is needed to measure the impact on child and family outcomes.
AN - 39708004
BT - J Pediatr Health Care
C5 - Healthcare Disparities
CP - 2
DA - Mar-Apr
DO - 10.1016/j.pedhc.2024.11.014
DP - NLM
ET - 20241220
IS - 2
JF - J Pediatr Health Care
LA - eng
N2 - INTRODUCTION: Screening for depression in caregivers of children with developmental disabilities is not routine, representing missed opportunities for support. METHOD: A quality improvement project was initiated in our pediatric clinic. Root causes of limited screening included unclear guidelines for support, caregiver perception that help is unavailable, and lack of a quick screening tool. A clinical pathway was constructed and integrated into existing practice using quality improvement methodology. RESULTS: Baseline screening rate was 5%-10%. During the 12-week pilot, weekly rates ranged from 46.0% to 91.0% (mean 70.2%). Monthly rates subsequently averaged 55.0%. Approximately 20% had a positive screen; over half were caregivers of children with autism. About 5% had moderate depression, of whom 40% required referral to social workers. DISCUSSION: Structured depression screening of caregivers of children with developmental disabilities is feasible and sustainable in a busy clinic. Further research is needed to measure the impact on child and family outcomes.
PY - 2025
SN - 0891-5245
SP - 247
EP - 254+
ST - Screening for Depression in Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Quality Improvement Initiative
T1 - Screening for Depression in Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Quality Improvement Initiative
T2 - J Pediatr Health Care
TI - Screening for Depression in Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Quality Improvement Initiative
U1 - Healthcare Disparities
U3 - 10.1016/j.pedhc.2024.11.014
VL - 39
VO - 0891-5245
Y1 - 2025
ER -