Validity and utility of the PRIME-MD Patient Health Questionnaire in assessment of 3000 obstetric-gynecologic patients: The PRIME-MD Patient Health Questionnaire Obstetrics Gynecology Study

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of mental disorders among obstetric-gynecologic patients and to assess the validity a nd utility of the PRIME-MD Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) in this popul ation. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 3000 patients were assessed by 63 clinicians at se ven obstetrics-gynecology outpatient care sites. The main outcome measures were PRIME-MD PHQ diagnoses, psychosocial stressors, independent diagnoses made by mental health professionals, functional status measures, disability days, health care use, and treatment or referral decisions. RESULTS: Current mental disorders were fairly prevalent, present in 1 in 5 obstetric-gynecologic patients. Patients with PRIME-MD PHQ diagnoses had mo re functional impairment, disability days, health care use, and psychosocia l stressors than did patients without PRIME-MD PHQ diagnoses (P<.005 for al l measures). Although most clinicians judged the PRIME-MD PHQ to be useful in management decisions, the questionnaire diagnosis of mental disorder rar ely led to therapeutic intervention. CONCLUSION: The PRIME-MD PHQ is a useful instrument for the assessment of m ental disorders, functional impairment, and recent psychosocial stressors i n the busy obstetrics-gynecology setting.