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Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Addressing Depression in Older Home Health Patients

Challenges to improving depression management in home care are aplenty.

Special Projects Fund

Grantee Name

Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Funding Area

Special Projects Fund

Publication Date

September 2008

Grant Amount

$149,814

Grant Date:

January 2007 – December 2007

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Challenges to improving depression management in home care range from organizational factors—such as a scarcity of mental health specialists—to patient factors—such as difficulty in assessing depression among patients who are seriously ill or disabled.

The project worked with discharged hospital patients who needed short-term home health services to promote their recovery.

Outcomes and Lessons Learned

  • Data from the agencies’ clinical information systems suggest that 59% of the patients who were depressed upon starting care were no longer depressed at the end of their home health care visits.
  • The percentage remaining depressed was lower among patients cared for by CAREPATH-trained nurses (35%) versus those cared for by nurses not trained in CAREPATH (46%), a statistically significant difference indicating that CAREPATH contributes to improved patient outcomes.

Related Links

Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University

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