A recent study found that incorporating mental distress screenings into routine clinical care can be highly effective at identifying breast cancer patients who may benefit from behavioral health support. The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, was based on a randomized clinical trial of breast cancer patients treated at six medical centers within Kaiser Permanente Southern California.
“Early identification and treatment for mental health issues is critical, yet depression and other mental health issues are often underidentified and undertreated in breast cancer patients,” said lead author Erin E. Hahn, PhD, MPH, KPSOM Associate Professor of Health Systems Science and a research scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Department of Research & Evaluation.
“Our study showed that the use of implementation strategies to facilitate depression screening is highly effective and provided insights into how to create a sustainable program to help our cancer patients achieve the best possible health,” Hahn said.
Michael Gould, MD, MS, KPSOM Professor of Health Systems Science, and Karen W. Kwan, MD, KPSOM Assistant Professor of Clinical Science, were among the study co-authors.
Read the article here .
