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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Detection of geriatric depression
— knowledge and practice of hospital nurses | | Author(s) | Kam Weng Boey |
| Journal title | Clinical Gerontologist, vol 20, no 2, 1999 |
| Pages | pp 47-56 |
| Source | http://www.tandfonline.com |
| Keywords | Depression ; Evaluation ; Nurses ; Hong Kong. |
| Annotation | The misdetection or misdiagnosis of geriatric depression may result in undesirable consequences. Previous studies have shown that depression in older people not only lengthened hospital stays, but also led to deliberate self-harm and suicidal behaviour. Because nurses have more contact with patients in hospital settings than any other health professionals, they are in a unique position to recognise depression and to prevent associated morbidity and mortality. This study examines practices carried out by nurses in assessing older patients for depression, on which previous research has been limited. 221 nurses from various departments of a Hong Kong hospital were invited to participate voluntarily in a questionnaire survey. Results confirmed previous findings that most nurses (68%) did not conduct assessments for depression in older patients, even though they had good knowledge of the symptoms, and had a relatively positive attitude towards depressed older people. Perceived incompetence and constraints of working conditions were the major deterring factors. Among those who assessed depression, very few used objective clinical tools. The implications for clinical practice are discussed. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-990719216 A |
| Classmark | ENR: 4C: QTE: 7DR |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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