Abstract

Background: Evidence-based screening helps to identify psychosocial factors important to treatment and facilitates referrals to psychosocial services. Screening is effective in a pediatric oncology setting, however, there are several barriers to implementation, including lack of time and resources.
Methods: Nurses administered mental health screenings to hematology/oncology patients ages 11-25 during routine infusion visits every three months. Data was collected from patients and nurses in addition to screening results.
Results: Out of 480 screenings conducted, 68 were positive on the PHQ-4, identifying 37 unique patients. These 37 patients then completed follow-up measures, yielding 18 patients with elevated scores on either the PHQ-9 (n= 12) or the GAD-7 (n=14); 8 patients had elevated scores on both measures. Results indicated that both patients and nurses felt that asking about mental health during medical visits was important, but nurses wanted more education on administering these measures.
Discussion: Partnering with nurses to administer mental health screenings can help to overcome barriers to implementation and identify children and adolescents at risk for anxiety and depression in a pediatric hematology/oncology clinic.

Keywords:Adolescents; Anxiety; Depression; Oncology; Hematology