Using the PDCA cycle to uncover sources of mental health disparities for Hispanics.
Sally Moyce, David Claudio, Maria Velazquez
PMID 36533717WHAT IT FOUND
Community screening among 43 participants found 21% positive for depression and 16% positive for mild-to-moderate anxiety.
Eighty percent lacked primary care and insurance. A Spanish-language health fair was used to screen and refer people.
Key findings
01Complete mental health screening data were available for 43 participants; 21% screened positive for depression and 16% screened positive for mild-to-moderate anxiety, and 16 referrals were made.
02Eighty percent of participants lacked both a primary care provider and medical insurance coverage.
03The community advisory board identified language barriers and lack of Spanish-speaking providers as key contributors to poor mental health.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The report describes a community health fair and does not include a comparison group or random allocation. Only 43 participants had complete mental health data, while 50 persons were screened. The paper reports positive screens on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, but it does not report follow-up outcomes. The community advisory board had six adults from a small number of national origins, so it may not represent all Hispanic residents in rural Montana. The event was held in rural Montana, where the Hispanic population is small and services are limited, so results may not apply elsewhere. The authors call the event successful, but they describe it as a relatively easy way to screen and refer, not as evidence that mental health improved.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM103.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 21% and 16% positive screens or the 16 referrals as proof that the health fair improved mental health outcomes. The paper reports a descriptive community screening event without a comparison group or follow-up outcome data.