Practice Survey: Depression Screening in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background:Little is known about depression screening practices in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care. This study summarizes depression screening within IBD centers in the ImproveCareNow Collaborative Network. Methods:Pediatric IBD providers across 79 IBD centers completed an online survey on current practices surrounding depression screening. Results:Half of centers report doing annual depression screening, largely for patients 12-14 years. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is most often used. For positive depression screens, most centers refer for evidence-based psychotherapy and/or a psychosocial provider meets with the patient during that visit. Suicidal ideation is addressed by calling a psychosocial provider to clinic or sending a patient to the emergency department. Barriers to routine screening include lack of personnel/resources, billing, and lack of clinic time. Conclusions:Pediatric IBD centers conducting depression screening provide targeted intervention based on screening and include psychosocial providers in the process. Greater understanding of screening efforts can inform future clinical efforts.