Evaluation of the program for depression detection, diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment in primary care in Chile Evaluación del programa para la detección, diagnóstico y tratamiento integral de la depresión en atención primaria, en Chile

Abstract

Objective. To conduct a preliminary evaluation of the Program for Depression Detection, Diagnosis, and Comprehensive Treatment, which was developed by the Ministry of Health of Chile. Material and methods. A group of women who had entered the Depression Program in eight primary care centers in three regions of Chile were monitored for three months. The initial sample was made up of 229 women, of whom 169 were able to be interviewed at the end of the three months. Sociodemographic variables, psychosocial risk factors, anxiety and somatic symptoms, and the degree of satisfaction with the care received were studied. Depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The treatments prescribed for the women were also analyzed. Results. The clinicians' decision to enroll the patients in the Depression Program was appropriate, with 95.2% of the women having depressive symptoms, according to the BDI. The accuracy in the clinical assessment of the severity of the sympt