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Document Type

DNP - University Access Only

Award Date

2016

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Graduate Nursing

Keywords

depressive symptoms, menopause, screening, rural

Abstract

Objectives: This DNP project aimed to evaluate if using screening tools helped providers detect depressive and menopausal symptoms, guided treatment plans, and reduced the severity of symptoms in a two month time period. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on if clinic providers had addressed the presence of depressive and menopausal symptoms in women aged 45-65. For two months, all women aged 45-65 who presented for yearly physicals or menopausal complaints were screened for depressive and menopause symptoms using the Beck Depression Inventory and Menopause Rating Scale. Those who screened positive on both were rescreened after two months.
Results: In the chart review, without use of screening tools, 42.6% percent were asked about menopausal symptoms, 51.5% were asked about depressive symptoms. Twenty-five total women were screened during the two month time period with 11 of them screening positive for at least one moderate severity or higher symptom on each screening tool. These women were offered treatment such as counseling, medication, or hormone therapy. Of the 11, six returned the rescreens after two months of treatment. Both screening tools had clinically significant differences in the total scores at α = 0.05.
Conclusions: This study suggests that the use of screening tools for depression and menopause symptom severity helps providers identify these symptoms, guides treatment plans, and can reduce overall symptom severity over two months.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Menopause -- Psychological aspects
Depression in women
Medical screening
Rural women

Description

Includes bibliographical references (pages 68-76)

Format

application/pdf

Number of Pages

115

Publisher

South Dakota State University

Rights

In Copyright - Non-Commercial Use Permitted
http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-NC/1.0/

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