Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of a quality improvement program to decrease prescribing of high-risk medications.
Design: Single cohort, pre- and postintervention.
Setting: Regional network of Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol
September 2007
We examined the impact of comorbid Parkinson's disease (PD) on depression treatment. Using national Veterans Affairs (VA) databases, fiscal year 2002 data were examined for 283 273 elderly males seen for depression. We compared 2 matched depression groups, one with (N = 7868) and one without (N = 7868) PD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To determine the frequency of depression in Parkinson's disease (PD) in routine clinical care, and to examine its association with co-morbid psychiatric and medical conditions and healthcare utilization.
Methods: Depression diagnoses and healthcare utilization data for all male veterans with PD age 55 or older seen in fiscal year 2002 (n = 41,162) were analyzed using Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national databases. Frequencies of co-morbid disorders and healthcare utilization were determined for depressed and non-depressed patients; associations with depression were examined using multivariate logistic regression models.
While it is recognized that medical and neurological comorbidities complicate the accurate diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression, the possibility that patient race or even gender may affect management decisions is less discussed. This article reviews the current literature on racial differences in the diagnosis and treatment of late-life depression, including recent studies on physician contribution to disparities.
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