Health Outcomes | Depression Evaluation Measures
Health outcomes measures for depression1-3
The effectiveness of depression programs depends on the intensity of program effort and the use of multiple interventions. A rule of thumb is that the more programs implemented together as a package or campaign, the more successful the interventions will be.
Baseline
- Determine levels of employee reports of depressive symptoms such as headaches, difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite, or overeating, etc. from employee health survey, health risk appraisal, or depression screening tool
- Determine baseline percentage of employees with who report life experiences that might increase the risk of depression, such as chronic illness, death of a loved one, or divorce
- Determine levels of diagnostic, counseling, and treatment procedures for depressive symptoms from health care and pharmaceutical claims data
- Determine compliance with disease management of other chronic conditions co-occurring with depression
- Determine employee knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about depression and depressive symptoms
- Assess employees’ current knowledge and beliefs about the symptoms, causes and treatments for depression. For example, do they consider depression a sign of “weakness”?
- Measure employees’ knowledge of the risk of depression associated with other chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes
- Assess employee awareness of existing workplace depression prevention and treatment programs, policies and benefits
Process
- Periodic repeats of baseline measures
Outcome
- Assess changes in the percentage of employees who report depressive symptoms
- Assess changes in levels of diagnostic and treatment procedures for depressive symptoms from health care and pharmaceutical claims data
- Assess changes in compliance with disease management of other chronic conditions co-occurring with depression
- Assess changes in employee knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about depression and depressive symptoms
- Measure changes in employee knowledge and beliefs about the symptoms, causes, and treatments for depression
- Measure changes in employees’ knowledge of the risks of depression associated with other chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes
- Assess changes in employee awareness of existing workplace depression prevention and treatment programs, policies, and benefits
1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Framework for program evaluation in public health. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 1999;48(No. RR-11): 1-40.
2. Matson Koffman DM, Lanza A, Campbell KP. A Purchaser’s Guide to Clinical Preventive Services: A tool to improve health care coverage for prevention. Preventing Chronic Disease, April 2008; 5(2).
3. Goetzel RZ, Ozminkowski RJ. Program evaluation. In: O’Donnell MP, editor. Health promotion in the workplace, 3rd edition. Albany, NY: Delmar Thomson Learning; 2002. p 116-165.