{"title":"The “GHU-Checkist”: Validity and acceptability of a 17-words checklist for rapid screening of depressive symptoms and anxiety","authors":"Fabienne El-Khoury , Justine Lahaye , Camille Oudinet , Pierre Alexis Geoffroy , Enrique Casalino , Christophe Choquet , Florence Perquier , Michel Lejoyeux","doi":"10.1016/j.ejpsy.2022.03.002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background and objectives</h3><p>Early detection of psychiatric disorders in general hospital settings could facilitate a systematic assessment of anxiety and depression, and lessen their non-detection, misdiagnoses and subsequent negative impacts. We built a new short screening tool with simple Yes/No questions on anxiety and depression and examined its diagnostic capacity and acceptability.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Our cross-sectional study included 608 patients examined in an emergency department at a Parisian general hospital. Their depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7). Participants also completed the ‘GHU-checklist’, a list of 17 words evoking moods or feelings. Sensitivity and specificity of the checklist were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>22.7% of participants had depressive symptoms as measured by the PHQ-9, while 25.4% suffered from moderate or severe anxiety. Most participants perceived positively the GHU-checklist, which had a sensitivity of 81.5% in distinguishing patients with depressive symptoms. Sensitivity was 86.0% for moderate anxiety and 94.7% for severe anxiety. The specificity ranged from 64.3% to 71.1%.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>A short 17-words checklist is able to ultra-rapidly screen for depressive and anxiety symptoms in non-psychiatric medical settings, and was perceived positively by patients. Its systematic use could facilitate a rapid and systematic assessment of these symptoms, especially in crowded and under-staffed settings such as the emergency department.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":12045,"journal":{"name":"European Journal of Psychiatry","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5000,"publicationDate":"2022-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0213616322000271/pdfft?md5=713a27f1420b39ee6a21a7a9f05e1ed9&pid=1-s2.0-S0213616322000271-main.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"European Journal of Psychiatry","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0213616322000271","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PSYCHIATRY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background and objectives
Early detection of psychiatric disorders in general hospital settings could facilitate a systematic assessment of anxiety and depression, and lessen their non-detection, misdiagnoses and subsequent negative impacts. We built a new short screening tool with simple Yes/No questions on anxiety and depression and examined its diagnostic capacity and acceptability.
Methods
Our cross-sectional study included 608 patients examined in an emergency department at a Parisian general hospital. Their depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7). Participants also completed the ‘GHU-checklist’, a list of 17 words evoking moods or feelings. Sensitivity and specificity of the checklist were determined using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis.
Results
22.7% of participants had depressive symptoms as measured by the PHQ-9, while 25.4% suffered from moderate or severe anxiety. Most participants perceived positively the GHU-checklist, which had a sensitivity of 81.5% in distinguishing patients with depressive symptoms. Sensitivity was 86.0% for moderate anxiety and 94.7% for severe anxiety. The specificity ranged from 64.3% to 71.1%.
Conclusions
A short 17-words checklist is able to ultra-rapidly screen for depressive and anxiety symptoms in non-psychiatric medical settings, and was perceived positively by patients. Its systematic use could facilitate a rapid and systematic assessment of these symptoms, especially in crowded and under-staffed settings such as the emergency department.
期刊介绍:
The European journal of psychiatry is a quarterly publication founded in 1986 and directed by Professor Seva until his death in 2004. It was originally intended to report “the scientific activity of European psychiatrists” and “to bring about a greater degree of communication” among them. However, “since scientific knowledge has no geographical or cultural boundaries, is open to contributions from all over the world”. These principles are maintained in the new stage of the journal, now expanded with the help of an American editor.