Screening for depression in primary care with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9): A systematic review

Background: Depression is a leading cause of disability. International guidelines recommend screening for depression and the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) has been identified as the most reliable screening tool. We reviewed the evidence for using it within the primary care setting. Methods: We retrieved studies from MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library that carried out primary care-based depression screening using PHQ-9 in populations older than 12, from 1995 to 2018. Results: Forty-two studies were included in the systematic review. Most of the studies were cross-sectional (N=40, 95%), conducted in high-income countries (N=27, 71%) and recruited adult populations (N=38, 90%). The accuracy of the PHQ-9 was evaluated in 31 (74%) studies with a two-stage screening system, with structured interview most often carried out by primary care and mental health professionals. Most of the studies employed a cut-off score of 10 (N=24, 57%, total range 5 - 15). The overall sensitivity of PHQ-9 ranged from 0.37 to 0.98, specificity from 0.42 to 0.99, positive predictive value from 0.09 to 0.92, and negative predictive value from 0.8 to 1. Limitations: Lack of longitudinal studies, small sample size, and the heterogeneity of primary-care settings limited the generalizability of our results. Conclusions: PHQ-9 has been widely validated and is recommended in a two-stage screening process. Longitudinal studies are necessary to provide evidence of long-term screening effectiveness.

Automated summary

The PHQ-9 has been widely validated and recommended for depression screening in primary care settings in a two-stage process. However, limitations such as the lack of longitudinal studies, small sample sizes, and heterogeneity in primary care environments restrict the generalizability of these results. Longitudinal studies are needed to provide evidence of the long-term effectiveness of screening.