Physicians Ask Patients about Mental Health Roughly Half of the Time

​Primary care providers ask patients about their mental and behavioral health roughly half of the time, according to survey results of almost 44,000 patients in Massachusetts conducted by Massachusetts Quality Health Partners. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently issued a final recommendation urging clinicians to screen all adults in the general population for depression, and a separate recommendation advising screening all women for depression during pregnancy and after giving birth (see the February 5, 2016, Physician Practice E-News). The researchers observe that the study results show there is room for significant improvement.