Screening for Substance Abuse in Patients with Depression.
William Burkhalter, MD. Trident Family Medicine Residency Program

Introduction: The natural incidence of comorbid substance use disorders and depression is approximately 40%. In the 1999, it was found that MUSC Department of Family Medicine physicians screened for substance abuse when diagnosing depression only 24.5%, well below the natural comorbid incidence. Since that time, a depression template with a substance abuse screen and frequent education regarding these comorbid conditions has been implemented. The study will study evaluate physician screening rates for substance abuse when diagnosing depression to determine if screening rates have improved since that previous study.

Methods: A retrospective search of the electronic medical record was done to identify 100 patients (50 seen by residents and 50 by faculty) who were diagnosed with depression. Records were reviewed to find documentation of screening for substance abuse at the time of depression diagnosis. Screening rates were calculated for each group.

Results: Screening rates for comorbid depression and substance abuse were 74% for faculty and 84% for residents.

Conclusion: Screening rates were significantly improved from the prior study. Several factors may have contributed to improved screening rates, including a depression template and frequent didactic education regarding substance use disorders.